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Robinson remains a Net

2006-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

The New Jersey Nets have come to terms on a new contract with forward Clifford Robinson. Terms of the deal were undisclosed for the unrestricted free agent, but Robinson's signing should become official in the next few days.

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Robinson was suspended for five games after violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program and missed the final three contests of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.

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Robinson averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest with the Nets last season. He was acquired by New Jersey from Golden State in the middle of the 2004-05 campaign. The Nets also requested waivers on guard Zoran Planinic Friday.

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Last season with New Jersey, the former first-round pick averaged just 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Taken 22nd overall in 2003, Planinic averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 148 games over three seasons. Named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice (2001-02 & 1999-00), Robinson won the 1992-93 NBA Sixth Man Award when he played for Portland.

Liriano out indefinitely with strained elbow ligament

2006-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

An enhanced MRI scan performed on Minnesota Twins rookie pitcher Francisco Liriano showed a very mild, chronic strain of his collateral ligament in his left elbow.

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Liriano, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday, is receiving physical therapy, but will be sidelined indefinitely. Also, Liriano has told the team of rotator cuff weakness and stiffness in his left shoulder, which is contributing to his elbow problems.

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Liriano owns a 12-3 record with a major league-best 2.19 earned run average in 27 games, including 15 starts, this season.

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The left-hander allowed four runs on 10 hits in four innings of work in his last start on Monday against Detroit.

Celtics Pierce has successful elbow surgery

2006-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce underwent successful minor arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow on Wednesday. The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Brian McKeon at New England Baptist Hospital.

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Pierce will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to return by the start of training camp. Pierce has spent each of his eight NBA seasons with the Celtics, who made him the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft after a standout collegiate career at Kansas.

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He has averaged 23.5 points with 6.5 rebounds and is the eighth- leading scorer in Celtics history.

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Pierce, a five-time All-Star and team captain, averaged a career-high 26.8 points with 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists during the 2005-06 season.

Yanks activate Cano, send Cairo to DL

2006-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

The New York Yankees activated second baseman Robinson Cano from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and he started in the Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

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Cano, who was voted to the American League All-Star team this season, had been out of action since late June with a strained left hamstring.

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The 23-year-old Cano finished 3-for-5 and now owns a .330 batting average with four home runs and 27 RBI in 2006.

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To make room on the roster for Cano, the Yankees placed infielder Miguel Cairo on the 15-day DL, also with a strained left hamstring. Cairo was injured during New York's 5-0 loss in Baltimore on Saturday.

Indians lock up Lee through 2009 season

2006-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Cleveland Indians signed southpaw pitcher Cliff Lee to a three-year contract extension with a club option for the 2010 season on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Lee is coming off a dominating 2005 campaign, compiling an 18-5 mark with a 3.79 earned run average while finishing fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

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Lee became the first Indian to lead the league in winning percentage since Bob Feller in 1951 and his fourth place showing in the Cy Young voting was the highest by a member of the Tribe since 1999.

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Lee's 2006 season has resembled the club's up-and-down play, as the left- hander has a 9-8 record and a 4.75 ERA in a team-high 23 starts.

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Since the beginning of last season, the Indians have tied up designated hitter and bona fide slugger Travis Hafner, staff ace CC Sabathia, catcher Victor Martinez, outfielder Grady Sizemore, infielder Jhonny Peralta and Lee to long- term contracts.

Red Sox acquire Lopez from Orioles

2006-08-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Javy Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in exchange for cash and a player to be named later. To replace Lopez on the active roster, the Orioles signed catcher Chris Widger.

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Lopez, who became frustrated with his role in Baltimore, is hitting just .265 with eight homers and 31 RBI in 76 games this season. He was upset with Orioles management after the team acquired catcher Ramon Hernandez this past off-season. He then lost his role as designated hitter to Jay Gibbons during the year. After the non-waiver trade deadline passed, he felt the team should've just released him.

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Lopez is in the final year of a three-year, $22.5 million contract. He has a .288 career batting average with 260 homers and 860 RBI in 15 seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Orioles. He is also a veteran of the postseason and has the ability to help the Red Sox down the stretch.

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Boston felt it needed to make a move for a catcher with a powerful bat after veteran Jason Varitek went down with a knee injury earlier this week that required surgery on Thursday.

Tampa Bay, cornerback Barber agree to contract extension

2006-08-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber has the opportunity to finish his career where it started, as Tampa Bay signed the shutdown defensive back to a contract extension on Wednesday.

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The Buccaneers wanted to make sure Barber stayed in town beyond the 2006 campaign, as his contract was set to expire next March. If the deal would have run out, Barber would have been a commodity on the free agent market.

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Barber has 28 career interceptions, which puts him only three behind the club's all-time leader Donnie Abraham. He also sits sixth on the franchise's career tackle list with 770 tackles, which is the most by a cornerback in team history.

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The defensive back has made three Pro Bowls in his distinguished nine-year career, while helping the club win a Super Bowl in 2002.

Bruschi may have broken wrist

2006-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

New England Patriots veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi may have fractured his wrist on Monday, according to a report in the Boston Herald.

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The 33-year-old Bruschi, who returned to the gridiron last October after suffering a stroke, apparently was hurt in Monday's morning practice and missed both sessions on Tuesday. He is expected to be out at least a week while the severity of the injury is determined.

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Widely considered the emotional leader of the Patriots, Bruschi helped form a modern-day dynasty that has won three Super Bowls over the past five years.

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The 6-1, 247-pounder out of the University of Arizona has racked up 541 tackles, 27 sacks and 11 interceptions in his 10 NFL seasons, all with New England.

Twins reinstated outfielder Torii Hunter

2006-08-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder Torii Hunter from the 15-day disabled list and he had three hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in four runs, as the Minnesota Twins downed the Texas Rangers, 15-2, to begin a three-game series at the Metrodome.

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Minnesota is 8 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, however is just one game behind the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees for the wild card spot.

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"Every game from here on out is going to be big, especially since we're trying to take that wild card away," Hunter said. "We want to win the division, but let's be real. We're so close to the wild card, we can taste it. We have to focus on that".

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The center fielder was placed on the DL on July 16 with a stress fracture in his left foot. Hunter is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games this season with the Twins. He owns a .268 career batting average with 148 homers and 559 RBI. Hunter belted a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Monday's game and singled in a run in the second.

Fingold intends to purchase Penguins

2006-07-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Friday that a group led by real estate developer Sam Fingold has signed a letter of intent to purchase the team. The 34-year-old Fingold heads Kenyon Investments, a commercial real estate firm in Hartford, Connecticut.

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A native of Toronto, Fingold said Friday he's committed to keeping the team in Pittsburgh, but will push for a new arena for the club. Fingold was reportedly interested in moving the Penguins to Kansas City if Pittsburgh didn't come up with a plan to replace Mellon Arena.

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Fingold's offer was believed to be for at least $175 million.The letter of intent means Fingold's group has exclusive negotiating rights with the Penguins to broker a deal.

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The Penguins are currently owned by a group led by former Penguin superstar Mario Lemieux. Even if the two sides come to an agreement, the NHL would have to approve of the sale, which could take several months.

Fred Jones joins Raptors

2006-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Raptors announced on Wednesday that they have signed free-agent guard Fred Jones to a multi-year contract. Jones joins the Raptors after spending his first four years in the league with Indiana.

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The 6-2, 220-pound Jones was the 14th overall selection by the Pacers in the 2002 NBA Draft. The University of Oregon product averaged 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season for the Pacers.

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For his career, the 27-year-old Jones owns career averages of 7.7 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

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"Fred Jones addresses our goal of infusing even more talent and athleticism to our revamped team," said Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. "He will benefit greatly from the up-tempo style we intend to play". Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

USA hoops names 15 finalists for World Championship team

2006-07-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

The United States men's basketball World Championship team named 15 players that were selected as finalists, USA basketball senior national team managing director Jerry Colangelo and USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday.

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Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets; Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards; the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier; Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors; Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs; the Clippers' Elton Brand; Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls; Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic; the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James; Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks; Brad Miller of the Sacramento Kings; Chris Paul of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets; the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade of the world champion Miami Heat were each named as finalists to make the team.

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The official 12-man roster that will compete in the FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.

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The USA finalists will take a five-day break and will reconvene in Las Vegas on July 31 for the start of the second phase of the team's training. "I think everything in our first phase of training was set up well and what we wanted to do in this phase was to pick 15, 16 or even 14 players to go forward with," Krzyzewski said.

Recchi returning to Penguins

2006-07-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Veteran winger Mark Recchi is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The club announced the signing on Tuesday, bringing back the 38-year-old winger who was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes last season.

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Recchi skated in 63 games last year with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Hurricanes on March 9. In 20 games with the Hurricanes, Recchi netted just four goals with three assists and was a minus-eight.

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However, Recchi posted seven goals and nine assists in 25 playoff games, including six points during the Stanley Cup Finals. The British Columbia native becomes the second high profile midseason acquisition to leave Carolina this offseason.

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The Hurricanes acquired Doug Weight from the Blues in late January to bolster their Stanley Cup push, but he has since returned to St. Louis via free agency. In 1,256 games with Carolina, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1991, Recchi has 484 goals and 781 assists for 1,265 points.

Pacers and Mavericks to swap point guards

2006-07-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly set to trade point guards, with Anthony Johnson heading to Dallas and Darrell Armstrong on his way to Indianapolis. The Pacers, according to the Indianapolis Star, would also receive forward Josh Powell in the deal. The paper said the trade needs league approval and could be announced as early as Monday.

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Johnson has spent the past three years with the Pacers and averaged 9.2 points with 4.3 assists in 75 games this past season. He was at his best in the first round of the playoffs, producing 20.0 points and 5.2 assists in a six-game loss to the New Jersey Nets.

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Armstrong appeared in 62 games this past season for Dallas, averaging a mere 2.1 points and 1.4 assists in a limited role. The 12-year NBA veteran has also played for Orlando and New Orleans.

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Powell played in 37 games for the Mavericks last season, his first in the NBA. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. This would be the second trade involving the teams this month, as Dallas sent guard Marquis Daniels to Indiana in exchange for forward Austin Croshere.

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York

2006-07-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York and Wade Brookbank and forward Jeff Hoggan, the team announced on Friday.

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York, 36, spent last year playing in Lugano, Switzerland where he recorded three goals and 17 assists in 34 games. Over 12 NHL seasons, which included stints in Detroit, Anaheim, Ottawa and Nashville, he has 41 goals and 180 assists in 708 games.

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His last appearance in the NHL was during the 2003-04 season when he played for the Predators. On the other hand, Brookbank, 28, has played for Nashville and Vancouver over his two NHL seasons and has three goals and two assists with 214 penalty minutes in 61 games.

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Hoggan, 28, played for St. Louis in his first NHL campaign in 2005-06 and recorded two goals and six assists in 52 games.

Hall lands with Rangers in three-team deal

2006-07-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Nashville Predators were involved in a three-team trade on Wednesday that landed forward Adam Hall in New York with the Rangers.

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Hall was shipped to the Big Apple in exchange for forward Dominic Moore. The Predators then sent Moore and forward Libor Pivko to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round selection in the 2007 draft.

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The 25-year-old Hall scored 14 goals with 15 assists for 29 points in 75 games last season with Nashville. He has 43 goals and 42 assists for 85 points in 234 career contests with the Predators. The Penguins netted a pair of mid-twenties players in the deal.

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The 25-year-old Moore had 18 points -- nine goals and nine assists -- in 82 games with the Rangers last season while Pivko, 26, had 69 points in 69 games with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League last year.

Jackets re-sign goaltender Leclaire

2006-07-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed goaltender Pascal Leclaire to a two-year contract. The Blue Jackets selected the Quebec native with the eighth overall pick of the 2001 draft. He has a record of 11-17-3 with a 3.25 GAA in 35 career NHL games.

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Leclaire appeared in 33 games last season as a rookie and posted a record of 11-15-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He was 9-5-2 with a 2.85 GAA from January 1 through the end of the season.

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At the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, Leclaire went 4-1-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and .937 save percentage to lead Team Canada to the silver medal.

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"When we drafted Pascal in the first round of the 2001 Entry Draft we saw a goaltender with great athleticism and confidence that had the potential to be a real important player for our organization," said Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean.

Quintanilla placed on 15-day DL

2006-07-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Rockies placed infielder Omar Quintanilla on the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh with an injury to his right shin.

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Quintanilla left Saturday's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati after he fouled a pitch off of his right shin and was listed as suffering from a right shin contusion.

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Quintanilla, 24, is batting .176 with three runs batted in since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 3. He finished 1-for-14 in his last six games.

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The club also recalled infielder Ryan Shealy and pitcher Manuel Corpas from Colorado Springs (PCL); purchased the contract of infielder Jason Smith from Colorado Springs; and optioned pitchers David Cortes and Scott Dohmann to Colorado Springs.

Baker returns to Twins rotation against Devil Rays

2006-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Scott Baker returns to the Minnesota rotation tonight as the injury-riddled Twins begin a four-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Baker won the No. 5 starter spot out of spring training but failed to hold on to it after winning just two of five decisions and amassing a 6.06 earned run average through his first nine outings.

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The young right-hander was sent to Triple-A in early June, where he went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in seven starts to earn his way back to the majors. This will be Baker's first career start against Tampa Bay. He threw one scoreless inning of relief against the Devil Rays last season.

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The Twins won the final three contests of its four-game home set with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend. In Sunday's finale, Jason Tyner's two-run double highlighted a three-run fourth inning which propelled Minnesota to a 5-2 victory.

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These teams will be meeting for the first time in 2006. Minnesota went 6-0 against Tampa Bay last year and has won eight straight in the series. The Devil Rays are just 3-9 at the Metrodome since the start of the 2003 campaign.

Prior returns to the disabled list

2006-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior was placed back on the 15-day disabled list Friday, this time with a strained left oblique muscle. Prior was scratched from his scheduled start this past Sunday in Milwaukee because of the problem and the DL move is retroactive to July 5.

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The 25-year-old right-hander began this season on the disabled list because of a shoulder strain and did not make his first start until June 18. He has not fared well on the mound, either.

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In four starts this season, Prior has a dismal record of 0-4 with a lofty 7.71 earned run average. He tossed a season-high six innings in his last outing on July 4 in Houston, but still allowed three earned runs in a 7-2 loss.

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Prior has battled injuries throughout much of his career and has a lifetime mark of 41-27 with a 3.39 ERA in 101 starts. The Cubs filled Prior's roster spot by recalling infielder Ryan Theriot from Triple-A Iowa. Theriot appeared in six games with the Cubs in May and was 0-for-4 with a run scored. He was batting .305 in 71 games with 21 runs batted in for Iowa

Division leaders start second half in Fenway

2006-07-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

A pair of first place teams meet tonight in Boston as the Red Sox welcome the Oakland Athletics for the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are 53-33 and hold a three-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

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The Athletics (45-43) are currently tied with Texas for the top spot in the West. The A's entered this week's All-Star break on a three-game losing streak and were dealt their latest loss last Sunday against the Angels.

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Meanwhile, the Red Sox had a three-game winning streak halted in Sunday's marathon loss to the White Sox. After, Tadahito Iguchi singled home Alex Cintron with one out in the 19th inning to lift Chicago to the 6-5 win.

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Mike Lowell homered and finished 3-for-5, while Mark Loretta drove in three runs for the Red Sox. Tonight marks the first meeting of the season between the Red Sox and A's. Boston went 6-4 in the series last year and is 14-5 versus Oakland since the start of the 2004 campaign.

FOX and TBS agree to new contracts with MLB

2006-07-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball announced a new seven-year television rights deal with FOX Broadcasting Company and Turner Broadcasting System. The agreements run through the 2013 season.

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FOX will continue its exclusive coverage of the World Series and All-Star Game, while also broadcasting one of the two League Championship Series each year of the contract. The network will cover the American League Championship Series in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, and work the National League Championship Series in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

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Baseball's broadcast partner for the LCS that FOX does not cover in each alternating year has not yet been decided. FOX will also expand its weekly Saturday game of the week from its current 18 weeks to 26 weeks. It will give baseball a weekly presence on network television from April to September for the first time since 1989.

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The agreement with TBS gives the cable outlet all regular-season tiebreaker games, all Division Series games and the All-Star Game selection show. In addition, beginning in 2008, TBS will telecast a window of MLB games on 26 Sunday afternoons. Currently, TBS is home to the Atlanta Braves, but the network will begin to scale back its coverage of the Braves in 2008. The agreements with FOX and TBS are each subject to ratification by Major League Baseball owners.

Blue Jackets re-sign Hainsey

2006-07-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed defenseman Ron Hainsey to a two-year contract on Tuesday. Hainsey appeared in 55 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He recorded two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with 43 penalty minutes and lead the team in plus/minus with a plus-13. He was claimed off waivers from Montreal on November 29.

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"We are very pleased to have Ron back with us," said club president and general manager Doug MacLean. "Last season he came in after he was claimed off waivers and played well the last 50 games of the season. We are pleased with his progress and think that he can develop into a strong player in the National Hockey League."

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He has played in 87 NHL games over three seasons with the Canadiens and Blue Jackets, scoring three goals and also dishing out 16 assists for 19 points with 49 penalty minutes.

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Hainsey has 29 goals and 87 assists for 116 points with 151 penalty minutes in 244 career AHL Games. Hainsey was Montreal's first pick -- 13th overall -- in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Italy basks in glory of fourth World Cup

2006-07-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

France was the first to score; Italy was eventually the last, as Fabio Grosso converted the final penalty kick in a shootout to give Italy the tournament championship over France in Sunday's final match.

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Grosso drilled a shot to give Italy the 5-3 win in penalties, after both teams finished 120 minutes of soccer in a 1-1 draw. France's David Trezeguet missed his penalty kick to allow Italy to take the advantage, with Grosso providing the final knock en route to Italy's fourth World Cup title.

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The Italian win came after a combined eight shots on goal in the 120 minutes of soccer. French captain, Zinedine Zidane, who is expected to retire, may have ended his career on a sour note, when he was ejected in extra time for head butting Marco Materazzi. The captain started the match off on a strong note, netting the first goal on a penalty kick to give France the early 1-0 lead.

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The goal was Zidane's second converted penalty kick in as many matches and was the fastest goal in a World Cup final since 1974. In the '74 match, the first goal was scored in just the second minute. With the goal, Zidane became the fourth player to score three goals in World Cup final history.

Morris leads Giants at Dodger Stadium

2006-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Giants’ pitcher Matt Morris will try to keep his recent unbeaten streak intact tonight when San Francisco and Los Angeles resume a four-game series from Dodger Stadium. Morris, who is 7-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 17 starts this season, has won his last four starts, including a July 2 victory over San Diego. Morris held the division-rival Padres to a pair of runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

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The right-hander lost to the Dodgers this season on May 12, surrendering five runs and eight hits through seven innings of work. For his career, Morris is 3-4 with a shutout and a 5.15 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) versus Los Angeles.

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San Francisco ended a two-game losing streak with Thursday's 5-4 win over the Dodgers in the series opener. Pedro Feliz went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Moises Alou added an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Alou was activated off the disabled list prior to the series opener with LA and had been sidelined since mid-June with a back strain.

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San Francisco is currently third in the NL West standings at 1 1/2 game behind San Diego for the top spot. The club also is 4-4 on an 11-game road trip and 21-22 as the guest this season.

Bobcats sign first-round pick Morrison

2006-07-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Charlotte Bobcats have signed their first-round draft pick, forward Adam Morrison. Morrison was the third player selected in last week's NBA Draft after a stellar collegiate career at Gonzaga.

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He played three years with the Bulldogs and led the nation in scoring last season with an average of 28.1 points per game, accumulating numerous postseason awards that included All-America and co-Player of the Year honors.

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"I am glad to sign my first contract and start my NBA career here in Charlotte," said Morrison. "I look forward to doing whatever I can to help the Bobcats take the next step as we build toward a championship." The Bobcats finished their second season with a 26-56 mark last year.

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"We are pleased to sign Adam and to get him on the basketball court with our team," said Bobcats general manager Bernie Bickerstaff. "He is a quality young man and a fine talent who we are excited to have as part of our organization. We have already seen how his skills will benefit our team and how competitive he is on the court."

Chicago continues series against Baltimore

2006-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

The White Sox aim for their second straight victory tonight when they battle the Baltimore Orioles in the third test of a four- game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox ended a two-game skid with an easy win in Tuesday's game. Jose Contreras won his 17th straight decision and Juan Uribe went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI to lead Chicago to the 13-0 rout.

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Contreras (9-0) allowed just six hits and struck out three over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has not suffered a regular-season loss since August 15, 2005 and his streak is the longest in the majors since Minnesota's Johan Santana also won 17 straight decisions from July 2004 to April 2005.

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Paul Konerko added a three-run homer and Scott Podsednik went 3-for-6 with a stolen base for the White Sox, who evened the set at a game apiece. Brian Anderson had two RBI for Chicago, which is 1 1/2 game behind Detroit for first place in the AL Central.

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Chicago has dominated this matchup in recent history. Last season the White Sox took six of the eight meetings, and they are 19-10 against the O's since the start of the 2002 campaign. Baltimore has also struggled in the Windy City in that span, winning just five times in 16 tries.

NL West showdown in LA

2006-07-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles will try to keep pace in the crowded NL West standings tonight when it resumes a three-game series against the division- rival Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are tied with Colorado at one game behind San Diego's lead, while the Giants are only a half game out of the race and Arizona is 3 1/2 games behind.

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LA ended a brief two-game losing streak in the series opener on Monday, as Nomar Garciaparra was hit by a pitch three times in a 10-4 victory. Garcia Parra tied a major-league record by reaching base three times via hit by pitch. He also scored once, drove in two runs and extended his hitting streak to 15 games in the victory.

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Andre Ethier went 4-for-5 with two runs batted in and J.D. Drew had two hits and two runs scored for the Dodgers, who opened a seven-game homestand in style and improved to 24-16 at home this season.

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The Diamondbacks are 3-1 on a nine-game road swing and 21-20 as the visitor in 2006. The 2006 season set between LA and Arizona is tied at three games apiece, but the Diamondbacks have won 11 of the last 14 meetings in the series.

Struggling Athetics welcome Tigers

2006-07-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

The struggling Oakland Athletics will have to face the team with the best record in the majors as the Detroit Tigers invade McAfee Coliseum for a three-game series beginning tonight. Oakland has dropped five of its last six games and lost all three contests to the previously-slumping Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend.

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Oakland still holds a tenuous lead in the AL West division, but its advantage has slimmed to one game over the surging Seattle Mariners. The Tigers, meanwhile, continued their season-long roll with a 9-8 triumph at Pittsburgh in Sunday's rubber match of a three-game set.

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Detroit, which leads the majors with a 3.52 team earned run average, looks for another strong pitching performance tonight out of Nate Robertson. Robertson is coming off an excellent outing last Tuesday, when the left-hander blanked the Houston Astros over seven innings to run his season record to 8-3. He has won three straight decisions and currently ranks fifth among AL hurlers with a 3.14 ERA.

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Oakland counters with Joe Blanton, who will try to rebound from a loss in San Diego on Wednesday in which he was charged with five runs -- four earned -- in four innings. The right-hander had been 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his three previous starts. The Tigers took two of three from the A's earlier this season, but Oakland has won six of the last nine meetings between the teams.

Today World Cup News

2006-06-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Toni sends Italy into semifinals

Luca Toni scored twice to carry Italy over Ukraine, 3-0, Friday in the quarterfinals at FIFA World Cup Stadium Hamburg. The Fiorentina forward notched two goals within 10 minutes to reserve Italy a spot in the semifinals. The team meets host Germany July 4 in Dortmund.

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Gianluca Zambrotta opened the scoring in the 6th minute. The Juventus defender fired a left-footer from 25 yards out past Ukraine goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy to take the lead. Italy, which knocked out Australia in the Round of 16, then doubled its lead in the 59th minute as Toni scored with a close-range header. Toni found teammate Francesco Totti's cross inside the box and put the ball out of Shovkovskiy's reach. Toni then sealed the win 10 minutes later as he tapped in Zambrotta's perfect cross.

Pekerman resigns after Argentina loss

Manager Jose Pekerman resigned from his coaching position Friday shortly after Argentina was eliminated from the World Cup. Argentina and Germany played to a 1-1 draw before the host nation advanced on a penalty-kick shootout. Pekerman, who is 56-years-old, had just taken charge of Argentina in September 2004.

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Argentina had a one goal lead for much of the match from Roberto Ayala's goal in the 49th minute. Germany's Miroslav Klose found the equalizer in the 80th minute, sending both teams to extra time and then into the shootout. Argentina finished the group stages with two wins and a draw, earning the Group C first place spot over the Netherlands. The team advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Mexico, 2-1 in extra time.

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MLB today news

2006-06-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Politte reinstated from DL

The Chicago White Sox recalled Cliff Politte from his rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated the right-handed reliever from the 15-day disabled list. The White Sox placed Politte on the disabled list on June 7 (retroactive to June 5) with right shoulder inflammation. He made three appearances (two starts) for Charlotte, recording a 1.93 earned run average and five strikeouts.

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Politte, 32, is 1-1 with a 7.40 earned run average in 23 appearances this season. Over his last seven outings, he yielded eight runs in just 6 1/3 innings. That is in sharp contrast to Politte's numbers last year, as the 10-year veteran finished with a 7-1 record and a 2.00 ERA for the World Series champion White Sox.

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Padres' Bard suspended

San Diego Padres catcher Josh Bard has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for his aggressive actions during his club's game against the Seattle Mariners at San Diego's PETCO Park on Sunday.

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Bard was ejected in the game for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Paul Nauert. After being tossed he pointed his bat at Nauert and needed to be restrained by third base coach Glenn Hoffman. Bard appealed the suspension and was eligible to play during San Diego's 8-1 victory over Oakland on Wednesday at Petco Park.

Chris Carpenter will try to prevent the St. Louis Cardinals from their first nine-game losing streak in 26 years

2006-06-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tuesday's 3-1 setback to the Indians, the Cardinals are in the midst of their worst losing streak since 1988, when they lost eight in a row from July 4-15. Their last nine-game skid came May 15-25, 1980 with 10 consecutive defeats. Now, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter will try to prevent the St. Louis Cardinals from their first nine-game losing streak in 26 years when he takes the hill tonight against the Cleveland Indians in the finale of a three-game interleague set.

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The 31-year-old right-hander has faced the Indians eight times in his career; six of which have been starts, and is 2-2 against them with a 6.81 ERA. Carpenter, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from a horrific outing in his last start on Friday against Detroit. In that contest Carpenter was tagged with seven runs and nine hits in seven innings to fall to 6-4 on the year, while raising his earned run average to a still respectable 2.97.

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St. Louis continued to struggle against the American League on Tuesday, as C.C. Sabathia threw eight solid innings to snap a four-start winless streak in the Indians' win. Ronnie Belliard blasted a two-run homer in the first inning and Victor Martinez singled in a run in the seventh for Cleveland, which has outscored the Cardinals, 13-4, in the first two games of this set.

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Cleveland owns a 10-3 all-time record against St. Louis and has taken all four of the lifetime series between the teams. The Tribe is 91-80 overall in interleague play, while the Cardinals are 76-65 versus the AL. However, St. Louis is just 3-8 against the Junior Circuit this season.

Surging Angels resume series with Rockies

2006-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will try for their fifth win in six games tonight when they host the Colorado Rockies in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Angel Stadium. The Angels won the opener of this set on Monday, edging the Rockies by a 5-4 score. Mike Napoli's two-run double keyed a five-run eighth inning to spark Los Angeles.

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Chone Figgins collected two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Angels. Orlando Cabrera reached base safely in his 54th consecutive game and also scored in the win. John Lackey (5-5) was credited with the victory. The right-hander allowed three runs on four hits in eight innings. Todd Helton hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, who saw their brief two-game winning streak halted.

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The Angels will send struggling hurler Jeff Weaver to the mound tonight. Weaver is 3-9 with a 5.82 this season and is winless (0-2) over his last four outings. He was handed a no decision last Wednesday in San Francisco after yielding two runs and six hits in six innings of action. Weaver did strike out seven batters and walked one. The 29-year-old right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA in five career starts against the Rockies.

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Aaron Cook will aim for his first victory in over a month when he takes the mound for the Rockies tonight. Cook is 0-4 in his last six starts since beating Toronto on May 19, but does have a respectable 3.73 ERA in that stretch. He posted a no decision last Wednesday against Oakland despite allowing just one run and four hits over eight innings. The Angels have won the last seven meetings with Colorado. The Rockies are just 61-77 all-time in interleague play and the Angels are 87-82 versus the NL.

Twins hope to stay hot with Dodgers in town

2006-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Baseball's hottest team will vie for its 13th victory in 14 games this evening when the scorching Minnesota Twins host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first of a three-game series at the Metrodome. The Twins ran their home winning streak to seven games on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with an 8-1 victory.

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Torii Hunter homered, drove in two runs and scored twice while Brad Radke threw seven scoreless innings to lead Minnesota to the easy win. The veteran right-hander yielded seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Ruben Sierra was 2-of-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in for the Twins, while Luis Rodriguez added a home run in the triumph.

There's no secret formula to the Twins' recent success. They've turned it around by undoing many of the personnel moves made during the offseason. Tony Batista is gone. Rondell White might as well be gone because he isn't playing anymore. They've also quit counting on the often-injured Ruben Sierra, who now is relegated to a very limited role.

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After some clubhouse strife in 2005, general manager Terry Ryan went out of his way to acquire veterans who were considered good guys and good teammates. All the newcomers turned out to be swell guys. They were just weren't good ballplayers.

The organization went back to the formula of relying on in-house moves to plug holes. Jason Kubel and Jason Bartlett have assumed prominent roles. Michael Cuddyer has moved into the cleanup spot. Justin Morneau has turned into a bona fide power hitter. Francisco Liriano has stepped into the rotation.

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Larry Brown out of the New York Knicks

2006-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Larry Brown is out as head coach of the New York Knicks after just one dismal season and president/general manager Isiah Thomas will replace him on the bench. Brown's ouster had been reported for more than a month and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan made it official on Thursday.

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"Larry has had a long and storied career. We hired him last summer with the expectation that he would be with the Knicks for a long time. Sometimes decisions work and sometimes they don't. After careful consideration, despite the best intentions from everyone involved, this current structure did not work for us last season and I did not think it was going to improve next season," Dolan said in a statement.

Brown left the Detroit Pistons for his "Dream Job" with the Knicks and suffered through a 23-59 season. Not only was the record the worst for the Knicks since an identical mark in 1985-86, but the 2005-06 season included a reported rift between Brown and Thomas, as well as public criticisms from the coach to his players.

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"I have great personal admiration for Larry, but have concluded that it is best for our franchise if we make this change," Dolan continued. "We understand that fans were not happy with the performance of the team last season and neither were we. We are committed to making major improvements next season towards our goal of producing a winning basketball team."

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Major League Baseball News Coverage

2006-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hernandez goes for fifth straight win

The 20-year-old Felix Hernandes, who is unbeaten since May 26, can stretch his career-best win streak to five starts when the Seattle Mariners visit Dodger Stadium on Thursday to close out a three-game interleague series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander has improved his season record to 7-6 and dropped his earned run average from 5.59 to 5.02. Felix has never faced the Dodgers.

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Pirates, Royals conclude series

Right-hander Scott Elarton tries to snap an unusual home losing streak when the Kansas City Royals host the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon in the final game of an interleague series at Kauffman Stadium. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound right-hander is winless in eight starts in his home ballpark, going 0-5 with a 5.64 earned run average over 44 2/3 innings.

These teams haven't faced one another since 2001, when the Pirates took two of three in PNC Park. Kansas City owns a slim 11-8 edge in the overall series. Both teams have historically struggled in interleague play, as the Royals are 70-95 all-time and Pittsburgh is 50-79.

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Mets look to shake off tough loss in finale with Reds

Pedro Martinez hopes to get back on the winning track this afternoon when the New York Mets close their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Shea Stadium. Martinez lost for the third time in his last four decisions on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in seven innings to fall to 6-3 on the year, while raising his earned run average to 3.01. The 34-year-old right-hander has faced the Reds 16 times in his career, 10 of which have been starts, and is 5-2 against them with a save and a miniscule 1.96 ERA.

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Daily sports coverage

2006-06-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Houston Astros

After sweeping a four game set against the Atlanta Braves last weekend, the Astros continued to roll, taking three in a row from the Chicago Cubs. However, true to form, the Astros followed up their sweep of the Cubs by dropping two out of three games to the lowly Kansas City Royals.

Their inability to close teams out and beat less talented ball clubs has landed them in third place in the NL Central standings. Last week was a prime example of the highs and lows that have been the Houston Astros season. Houston now finds itself seven games back from the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals and will have to rally around their 43-year old leader in order to make a run at the division crown.

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Miami Heat 2006 NBA champions

Even before Game 6 of the NBA Finals had officially ended, an ecstatic crowd of around 14,000 white towel-waving fans celebrated the Miami Heat's first NBA championship Tuesday evening as they watched on the Jumbotron during the Heat's ``Road Rally'' watch party at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The final score was Miami 95, Dallas 92. During the game Dwyane Wade poured in 36 points and drilled four key free throws with under 30 seconds remaining to lead the Miami Heat to the franchise's first NBA championship. The Heat won the series 4-2 and became only the third team in league history to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the title.

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Portugal takes first place in Group D in the World Cup

This is the first time since 1966 that Portugal has sealed a second round berth. Portugal clinched the top spot in Group D after defeating 10-man Mexico, 2-1, Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen. With the victory, Portugal faces either Group C contender Argentina or the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

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Game Capsules

2006-06-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

National Basketball Association

The Minnesota Timberwolves: The University of North Carolina product, Rashad McCants underwent successful microfracture surgery on his right knee. The team orthopedic surgeon, perform the procedure and said that McCants is expected to make a full recovery. His expected rehabilitation time is 4-to-6 months.

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The Miami Heat: The team, which won last Sunday at American Airlines Arena in the pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals, after All-Star guard Dwyane Wade poured in 43 point and connected on two free throws to lead Miami past the Mavericks 101-100, to lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, will try to capture their first-ever NBA championship, as they visit the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday at American Center for Game 6 of the NBA Finals. If the Mavericks win the game, Game 7 is scheduled to be played on Thursday in Dallas.

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Major League Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks: The team is fighting to stay alive after having lost 12 of their last 14 games, yet have still managed to keep within a half game of the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona’s pitching staff has fallen apart during the month of June, as opponents are averaging 6.6 runs per game over 18 games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates: Kip Wells will make his first start on Tuesday after spending the entire early season on the disabled list for the Pittsburgh Pirates, which visit Kauffman Stadium for the first of three interleague games with the Kansas City Royals. Wells, who lead the majors with 18 losses last season, missed the first few months of 2006 following surgery to repair a blocked artery in his right shoulder.

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Somehow, free throws win it for Heat

2006-06-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

On the night where Dwyane Wade broke a 48-year-old NBA finals record for free throws made in a game, Shaquille O'Neal continued missing with amazing regularity, shooting so badly that even his wife Shaunie couldn't bear to watch.

He was 2-for-12 in the game.

He's now 13-for-44 in the series.

And somehow, it didn't matter.

Wade saved his teammate - and the Heat, with his 43 points and two free throws with 1.9 seconds left being the winning margin in a 101-100 victory in Game 5 of the NBA finals on Sunday night.

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The Heat now lead the best-of-seven championship series 3-2, and can win the title in Dallas on Tuesday night. If the Mavericks win that one, it's a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday night.

O'Neal's struggles are now so mighty that the Mavericks didn't even fear intentionally fouling him when they had the lead in the fourth quarter. They went to the Hack-a-Shaq twice in the final period of regulation, utilizing the scheme invented by former Mavs coach Don Nelson.

O'Neal went 1-for-4 on those two trips, not counting one brick waved off by a lane violation. Shaunie O'Neal had her head bent for some of those foul shots, the magnitude of the moment making it impossible for her to look up.

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In the end, though, everything looked up - thanks to Wade.

He was 21-for-25 from the foul line, two more makes than what Bob Pettit had for St. Louis on April 9, 1958. Go figure: The second-most free throws made in a finals game is 18, accomplished by O'Neal for the Los Angeles Lakers against Indiana in the 2000 title series, when he won his first ring.

Now, misses and all, he's one win from his fourth championship.

For the game, Miami was 32-for-49 from the foul line. Dallas was 21-for-25. And yes, while that discrepancy looks huge, consider that the Mavericks were fouling O'Neal early and often - accounting for much of the imbalance in that category.

Still, as Miami fizzled from the line, the Mavericks sizzled, missing only one free throw in regulation - coming down the stretch by Dirk Nowitzki, who missed a crucial one at the end of Game 3 as well, the game where the Heat rallied from 13 points down with 6 1/2 minutes remaining.

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Dallas was 18-for-19 in the first four quarters, with that sole miss being the one that could have saved the Mavs from going to overtime - and moved them one win from a title.

Instead, now it's Miami in the driver's seat.

"We can smell it," Wade said before trotting triumphantly into the locker room.

Mavs try to regroup after blown lead

2006-06-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Back at his hotel room in the wee hours Wednesday, Jason Terry was still thinking about all the things he and the Dallas Mavericks did wrong in their stunning collapse against the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA finals. Looking to clear his mind, he flipped on the television and started scanning the stations.

Terry opted to punish himself only so much. He turned off the TV at halftime, claiming Wednesday afternoon that it was because he didn't want to stay up until dawn.

Of course, had he kept watching, he might never have gotten any sleep.

Dallas went ahead by 13 points with 6:34 left on a jumper by Terry, but wound up losing 98-96. Although the Mavericks still lead the series 2-1, they spent a short night and a long day trying to get over one of the worst fourth-quarter meltdowns in the 345-game history of the NBA finals.

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"We didn't really get lots of rest - I didn't, at least," said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 30 points but missed a free throw that would've tied it with 3.4 seconds left. "It didn't help that the room service took about three hours because they were a little overwhelmed."

The fact that the outcome required almost a perfect storm of Mavs mistakes and Heat heroics hardly dulled the agony. About the only solace was having Game 4 on Thursday night to focus on instead.

"I told our team that we were in for a battle," coach Avery Johnson said. "This is a seven-game series. Whether we're up 2-0, down 0-2, up 2-1, down 1-2, it really doesn't matter. It's about grinding out this whole series."

If Dallas goes on to win the series - as the nine previous teams that led 2-0 since the finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985 have done - the Game 3 loss will be nothing more than a footnote.

It might even prove to be a gut check, like the 3-1 series lead against San Antonio that was nearly squandered or the 20-point wipeout loss in Phoenix in the conference finals.

But if the Mavericks wind up losing the series, the finger-pointing will begin with the final 6:34 of Tuesday night's game.

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For those who thought the Mavs were comfortably ahead and either turned off their TVs or fell asleep with it on, and for fans who still can't believe what they saw, here are some of the factors that added up to Miami's 22-7 closing run:

- The beginning of the end was a 16-footer by Terry that made it 89-76. It capped a 12-5 spurt that gave Dallas its biggest lead of the night. It seemed pretty safe, too, considering the Mavs had made six straight shots, the Heat were in a 1-for-5 rut with three turnovers and Miami star Dwyane Wade already was playing with five fouls.

- Dallas went 2-for-7 the rest of the game, with all five misses in a row. Devin Harris made both baskets - a jumper that actually pushed the team's shooting streak to 7-for-7, then a layup with 33.5 seconds that tied it at 95.

The Heat, meanwhile, made its next five shots and went 7-of-11 during the rally.

Wade scored 12 of his 42 points along the way, but there also were unexpected contributions: Shaquille O'Neal hitting a pair of free throws with 1:48 left; Udonis Haslem, who'd been 0-for-4 at the line, making a pair with 1:03 left to put the Heat ahead by one; and Gary Payton making a 21-footer for a 97-95 lead with 9.3 seconds left.

Payton hadn't taken a shot all game. He also was 1-for-8 in the finals and 7-for-34 (21 percent) over his last seven games, the equivalent of a full series.

"We couldn't score and we couldn't stop anybody. It was as simple as that," Harris said. "We struggled getting good looks at the baskets and they were getting layups and easy jump shots."

- The Mavericks withstood 11 turnovers and being outrebounded by 11 to build their 13-point lead. They couldn't overcome five more turnovers and an 8-4 disparity on the boards during the deciding half-quarter.

"That killer instinct, it just wasn't there," Terry said.

- Dallas also was hurt by 3.4 seconds that were lost in the final minute because of an equipment problem. There were 2.5 seconds lost after Terry committed a foul with 45.3 seconds left, then another 0.9 was lost after a foul against Miami with 4.3 seconds left.

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"In both cases, the cause of the problem was a malfunction in the electronic device worn by one of the game officials, which is designed to automatically stop the clock when the referee's whistle is blown," said NBA senior vice president for basketball operations Stu Jackson. "The NBA will replace the defective equipment for subsequent games of the finals."

- If the Mavericks ever felt good during all this, it was when Nowitzki went to the foul line with a chance to force overtime. After making the first free throw, he was 10-of-11 for the game and 26-of-28 for the series.

The next one hit the front and back of the rim, but didn't fall.

It was about all that went wrong for Miami in the final 6:34.

O'Neal does his part for Heat

2006-06-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Shaq had his moments.

The spinning shot for the first points of the game. The reverse layup later in the quarter. The two free throws he swished to nearly spark a standing ovation.

Those fans were even louder when Shaquille O'Neal hit two more in the waning minutes - with the game, and perhaps the season, in the balance.

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No, he wasn't dominant. But the three-time champion was good enough for the Miami Heat.

And now, after he helped the Miami Heat pull off an epic comeback in Game 3 of the NBA finals, O'Neal still has a chance of making good on that promise of delivering a championship to South Florida.

O'Neal's 16-point, 11-rebound effort - his best so far against Dallas in the NBA finals - helped the Heat beat the Mavericks 98-96 on Tuesday night, drawing Miami within 2-1 in this best-of-seven series.

"We still made a lot of silly mistakes," O'Neal said. "But, you know, we never gave up. We just kept playing, showed a lot of heart, a lot of intensity."

And for as good as he was on the floor, O'Neal might have won this game with a phone call he made last summer. He wooed Gary Payton to take less money and sign with Miami; Payton hit a jumper from the right wing with 9.3 seconds left to put the Heat up for good.

"We needed this one," O'Neal said. "Bad."

Funny how one win makes everything seem good again. Because until Tuesday, the series had been one to forget for O'Neal.

He was 2-for-16 from the foul line in the first two games, both Miami losses. He didn't play in the final 15 minutes of Game 2, and didn't talk to reporters after a five-shot, five-point, mediocre-for-some, abysmal-for-him effort in that one - his silence drawing him a $10,000 fine from the NBA.

"I didn't talk and I got fined," O'Neal said. "I didn't deserve to talk. So I took the fine."

He was fine early Tuesday for Miami, trying to set the tone with four first-half assists - he finished with a game-high five, tying Dallas' Jason Terry - and made his first two foul shots of the night.

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The Heat were down by 13 in the fourth quarter, but O'Neal did his part to add to the comeback. He set a pick to free Wade for a jumper that cut Dallas' lead to 91-86. He rebounded Dirk Nowitzki's miss on the next possession, and Wade followed with a layup to get Miami within three.

But his biggest contribution to the rally came with 1:48 left, when his two free throws - with his wife Shaunie jumping for joy and his father, Phil Harrison, bending his head and unable to look - got Miami to 93-90.

"If I take my time and concentrate," O'Neal said in the din of the postgame on-court celebration, "they usually go in."

Sure enough, they did. And soon, the comeback was complete.

"I tell you, my problem lately is that I've just been listening to too many people," Wade said.

He did listen to Wade, though.

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The Heat's dynamic duo had another late-night shooting session at Miami's practice facility Monday night, Wade working on one end, Shaq shooting free throws at the other.

Looks like the extra effort paid off, too.

"Well, last night I was at the house, and D. Wade called me and said he watched the DVD where I was shooting free throws and it looked pretty good so he wanted me to go back to that style," O'Neal said. "And a funny thing happened - my momma told me the same thing today, so we shot in a little gym in my house. I just wanted to try something different."

Shaq is textbook at poor free-throw shooting

2006-06-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

It screams through consecrated air space with a chilling disregard for doomsday bystanders.

It has no empathy. It also has no soul, amazingly slim trajectory and very little chance.

Instead of respecting the intended target, it barges into this vulnerable intersection with the nonchalance of a lightning bolt.

As the recoil generates a vacuum of amazement and fear within the impact zone, the bystanders begin preparing for the aftershock.

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It is the Shaquille O'Neal free throw, and Shaq was fouled in the act of shooting.

Before dissecting this brick of basketball trade, please note that O'Neal's free-throw shooting probably won't lose the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat. It didn't prevent Shaq and the Los Angeles Lakers from winning three consecutive championships, and will fail to stall O'Neal's march toward the Mount Rushmore of NBA centers.

But the Shaq free throw is hideous and more difficult to witness than Rosie O'Donnell squeezing into a pair of jeans.

It has been a subject of basketball debate since O'Neal stomped into the league back in 1992. Shaq bagged 59.2 percent of his free-throw attempts that season, but — in a rare statistical regression — has dipped to a career average of 50 percent and change. He did manage to make 62.2 percent of his Scuds during the 2002-2003 campaign, but has plummeted to career lows — 46.1 and 46.9 — while working in Miami.

His inability to convert during the Heat's two-game flop in Dallas has renewed international interest in this charity-stripe phenomenon.

While the Mavericks were claiming a 2-0 series advantage, Shaq was making free throws at a 12.5 percent clip. That doesn't even qualify as a proper gratuity.

It provoked a friend from Canada into asking me why O'Neal was so lousy at free-throwing shooting. Trying to avoid the painful details, I explained that Shaq isn't paid to shoot free throws. My friend then asked how much Shaq is paid per season. I said "More than $20 million, I think."

My friend mumbled something negative regarding Shaq, free throws and professionalism, provoking me to consider asking her why Steve Nash seems unable to guard a vending machine. Before I was able to make this snappy comeback, she asked if the Shaq free throw is beyond redemption.

The answer was the same as most of Michael Jordan's retirement declarations — 99 percent yes.

That 99 percent has been defined by O'Neal's failure to translate coaching — from multiple, qualified sources — into free-throw competence. According to eyewitnesses in L.A. and Miami, Shaq has wanted to become better, often returning to the team practice facility for late-night shooting practice.

Perhaps he feels more comfortable practicing free throws with nobody around to provide scrutiny. Unfortunately, most NBA games are witnessed by about 20,000 people.

But practice won't accomplish much if you're a shooter who clings to improper mechanics.

For the record, O'Neal is a textbook case on how to miss at the line.

(It should be noted that I teach shooting to kids who actually volunteer for this coaching. At post time, only a few of my pupils had put an eye out while shooting free throws.)

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Let's begin at Shaq's knees, which should be slightly flexed and prepared to straighten in a smooth manner as he lifts the ball into shooting position. Although a 7-foot-2, 330-pound man doesn't require distance-generating influence from his lower body, the rise from a reasonable knee bend will assist the shot's rhythm.

The O'Neal free throw exhibits less rhythm than the dance floor at a private school. Once a shooter leaves the set position, the shot should proceed — uninterrupted — in one smooth stroke. The Shaq free throw is balky and unexpected, inviting potential rebounders to commit lane violations while seeking cover.

Now that O'Neal's lack of rhythm has been entertained, let's examine the load point for his shot. Unlike most shooters — who bring the ball to the aforementioned set position about chest or neck high — Shaq immediately brings the rock to a point just above his head.

This is fine for keeping the ball away from smaller player (everyone else) during shots in the paint, but is a damning feature for any shot taken outside, oh, 10 feet.

The higher load point prevents Shaq's shooting arm from fully extending while the ball is being lifted to the release point. Without full triceps-elbow extension in one fluid motion, it's nearly impossible to create a suitable arc on the shot.

Why is this bad?

Well, think of shooting in terms of the good, ol' parabola. According to one of my old coaches, the parabola has something to do with the planed curve, conic sections and the intersected cone.

Anyway, when the shot arrives in an almost straight-line trajectory, the percentage of the rim opening is far less than what's available to a ball approaching from a steeper angle.

With the parabola ignored, Shaq's free throw usually is flatter than an open beer.

O'Neal's elbow drive is further diminished by arms that are positioned a bit too far away from his torso. This prevents Shaq from keeping his elbow under the ball — a big key in future parabola issues — during his shooting motion.

This troublesome elbow also sabotages the O'Neal free throw by failing to consistently begin (and end) while aligned with the target. With the elbow askew, it's very difficult for the wrist to follow through directly at the basket.

Last, but not least, in the O'Neal hit-the-rim parade is his release. Based on years of observation, there seems to be almost zero wrist flip and follow through.

Think of the Shaq free throw as lobbing a grenade. In grenade-lobbing, backspin usually is avoided because ballpark accuracy may suffice in the blowing-up process.

But in free-throw shooting, backspin often allows the less-than-perfect shot to stay around the rim long enough to accidentally fall in. Without backspin, O'Neal's frequent miscalculations don't come off the rim as rebounds. They're ricochets.

This inability to bag free throws has limited valuable fourth-quarter options for Shaq's teams. With Hack-a-Shaq in the offing, pitching the ball into the post becomes a liability.

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Like Wilt Chamberlain, poor free-throwing shooting didn't preclude Shaq's greatness, but it has diluted it a bit.

A missed free throw is to O'Neal as that accent is to Schwarzenegger ... seemingly impossible to get rid of, but not enough of a handicap to prevent overall success.

The light-hearted approach to reconciling Shaq's free-throw danger will continue until someone gets seriously injured.

Rules will be proposed. Precautions will be taken.

Please note that if he's assigned to rebound the O'Neal free throw, even Ben Roethlisberger would consider wearing a helmet.

Mavericks take 2-0 series lead over Heat

2006-06-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

Jerry Stackhouse scored 19 points and Josh Howard had 15 - and both converted four-point plays during the decisive runs in Dallas' 99-85 victory in Game 2 on Sunday night, sending the Mavericks to Miami with their sights on the franchise's first title.

Dirk Nowitzki's supporting cast made the biggest plays in this one-sided romp, but the German star shook off his Game 1 jitters to get 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Mavericks. With the game nearly out of reach in the third quarter, Dallas kept its celebrations calm and professional.

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Clearly, the Mavs have bigger goals in mind.

"We haven't really done anything," Nowitzki said. "We won two games at home. We know they are a different animal at home. Shaq and Dwyane, they are going to get their troops ready to play."

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Miami, and a two-game deficit has only been overcome twice in NBA finals history.

Led by Stackhouse, Howard and Jason Terry, who had 16 points, Dallas' offense was effortless and exciting. The Mavs buried the disorganized Heat with waves of points that included a 27-6 run in the second quarter.

"We feel that this is an opportunity for us," Stackhouse said. "We want to do all we can to prepare ourselves to be able to fulfill a dream of ours, and fulfill the dream of our city. We're one more step closer to that."

Both Stackhouse and Howard even converted four-point plays - the elusive act of hitting 3-pointers while getting fouled. There were just six four-point plays in NBA finals history before the game, and Dallas was the first team ever to get two in the same game.

But the Mavericks did something much more historic and important on the other end: They limited O'Neal to his worst postseason performance. In 190 career playoff games, Shaq finished with a single-digit point total just three times.

"It was a team effort," Nowitzki said. "No one can stop Shaq one-on-one. It was a team effort, and our big men did a decent job."

O'Neal scored on the Heat's very first possession while being fouled, but he missed the ensuing free throw - and then went 20 1/2 minutes without another basket, taking just five shots all night. Shaq's frustration grew with every possession, contributing to his 1-of-7 free throw shooting after going 1-for-9 in the opener.

O'Neal, who was 2-for-5 from the field - both career playoff lows - spent the final 15 minutes on the bench after Dallas went ahead by 25 points. Shaq, who called himself "quotacious" earlier in the series, didn't speak to reporters afterward.

O'Neal was fined $10,000 for failing to appear in the postgame interview room, and the Heat were docked $25,000, the NBA said.

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"We need to get him the basketball, but this game was about another team's competitiveness and energy," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "They doubled him every single time he caught the ball."

Dwyane Wade scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime on 6-of-19 shooting, and was almost as invisible as his bigger teammate for long stretches against Howard's defense. Antoine Walker scored 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

"This series is far from over," Walker said. "We know that, and hopefully they know that. We're a veteran group of guys. A lot of us have worked our whole career to get to this point, and we ain't going to lay down now."

Miami trimmed the lead to 12 points in the final minutes with Alonzo Mourning in the middle, but Nowitzki carried Dallas to another festive finish after a 90-80 victory in Game 1.

Only Boston (1969) and Portland (1977) have rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win the finals. Unless the Heat figure out a solution to the group malaise that's left Wade on the perimeter and kept the ball away from O'Neal, their season will be over in a few days.

Stackhouse scored 10 points in the final 1:19 of the first half, capping the first dominant run of the series. The veteran gunner, who now embraces a supporting role in Dallas after starring for worse teams in other cities, hit three 3-pointers and converted his four-point play to elate the crowd.

Cuban, one of the more visible owners in the NBA, again updated his online blog throughout the night, from his pregame meal at a local convenience store to a halftime entry titled "S-T-A-C-K."

Dallas also played the best defensive half in franchise playoff history, holding Miami to 34 points in the first half - after limiting the Heat to 36 in the second half of Game 1. Coach Avery Johnson surely won't credit his defense for those numbers - not after watching the Heat's discombobulated effort on offense.

The Mavericks even surprised themselves with their effort against O'Neal.

After holding O'Neal to 17 points in the opener, they spent the last two days anticipated a Shaq-splosion: Before the game, Johnson said he had "350 pounds on my mind," referring to Shaq's rumored weight.

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After struggling to score in the final three quarters of Game 1, the Heat vowed to get the ball to O'Neal early and often. They only got it half-right: Shaq scored while drawing a foul on Miami's first possession, but missed the ensuing free throw - and then didn't get another field goal for an incredible 20 1/2 minutes.

O'Neal's frustration visibly grew with nearly every possession, and he passed out of Dallas' double-teams almost before they arrived. His teammates couldn't score consistently around him, and Wade's frustration showed with a technical foul for the normally mild-mannered star.

O'Neal struggles in Game 1 for Heat

2006-06-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Shaquille O'Neal handled everything the Dallas Mavericks threw his way. He spun past single defenders for dunks. He found open Miami teammates when double-teams came, setting up easy hoops.

No, O'Neal's biggest problem - as usual - came when no defenders were anywhere near him.

His free throw shooting woes reared up again Thursday night, spoiling his return to the NBA finals. O'Neal missed eight of his nine attempts from the free-throw line in Game 1, a major contributing factor in the Heat's 90-80 loss to the Mavericks.

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"I know that if I want my team to win a championship, I have to step up to the line and hit them," O'Neal said. "And I will. I was just thinking about it a little too much. We still had a lot of opportunities to win the game, and on Sunday, look for me to shoot a little bit better."

Really, though, he couldn't shoot much worse.

O'Neal missed his first eight attempts from the line in Game 1, and that doesn't even include two misses nullified by lane violations. He was 8-for-11 from the field, but never really got rolling on the sort of dominant run that he used to carry the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 through 2002.

"He only got 11 shots," Heat guard Gary Payton said. "He has to shoot more to be productive."

Afterward, O'Neal took the blame.

But his superstar teammate said he shouldn't carry all the burden.

"He did get the ball some, they double-teamed up, but we've got to do a better job of finding him," said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who had 28 points. "And not only on the set plays, but also when he's going to the basket, getting him the ball. I had opportunities tonight to give it to him myself. ... I think it'll be a focal point going into the next game."

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For the second time in their last three playoff games, the Heat were mindbogglingly bad from the foul line. They were 6-for-20 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at Detroit, a stat that played a key role in a 91-78 defeat that night.

In Game 1 of the finals, Miami struggled nearly as much from the stripe, missing 12 of its 19 tries. Most of those struggles came from O'Neal, of course. Wade was 6-for-10, and everyone else wearing the red Heat road uniforms combined to shoot exactly 0-for-0 from the line.

Dallas, meanwhile, was 20-for-26 from the foul line.

And that was the difference.

"We were horrendous from the free throw line," Heat coach Pat Riley said.

How bad was it? The Heat's 36.8-percent success rate from the line was the lowest in NBA finals history, worse than the Chicago Bulls' 41.7 (5-for-12) clip against Utah exactly nine years ago to the day.

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He did have back-to-back dunks to spark a 7-0 Miami run that cut a 10-point deficit down to an 82-79 margin with 4:22 remaining, but the rally ended there. The Heat only scored one more point the rest of the way - an O'Neal free throw with 55.6 seconds left.

Now, the Heat get two days to figure out how to get more from O'Neal; Game 2 is Sunday night.

"We had a lot of silly and mental mistakes, just doing things that we're not really accustomed to," O'Neal said.

Mavs know all too well about O'Neal

2006-06-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Shaquille O'Neal has always given himself colorful, timely nicknames. With his Miami Heat about to open the NBA finals against the Dallas Mavericks, here's a new one he could consider: The Mavs Masher.

He certainly has the numbers to back it up.

Over 36 career games against Dallas, O'Neal has averaged 29.3 points. That's his most against any team and it's tops of any player who has ever faced the Mavericks more than six times.

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O'Neal also has been good for 12.2 rebounds per game against them, which ranks near the top of all Dallas foes while being only a half-board per game above his leaguewide average.

Dooming as it all may sound, the stats come with a disclaimer: Most were rung up against the likes of Shawn Bradley and other helpless defenders. Those guys may have had O'Neal's height or bulk, but none had both - and many had neither.

The Mavericks are better equipped this time around, with a pure center tandem of DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier. They won't stop O'Neal, but Dallas coach Avery Johnson is hoping that together they might be able to slow the Diesel.

"You need bodies," Johnson said Monday. "We've got two big bodies now."

The O'Neal-Dampier matchup comes with an interesting back story.

Two summers ago, when O'Neal was being shopped by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks dreamed of finally plugging their gaping hole in the middle by adding the ultimate big man. He liked the idea of going to Dallas, too, but the Lakers weren't about to send him to a conference rival, so he wound up on the other coast. Dallas ended up lavishing a huge contract on Dampier.

Around that time, Dampier proclaimed himself the second-best center in the NBA, presumably behind the Big You-Know-Who.

Whether those things were factors or not, Shaq began a war of words with Dampier the next time they met in Dallas. The Mavs won a tight game, with Dampier forcing O'Neal into two late misses. Afterward, O'Neal said: "Damp is soft. Quote it, write it, tape it and send it to him. I tell you, there's nothing there."

Then, when Dampier struggled in the playoffs last year, O'Neal used him as a punch line, saying that a leg injury was causing him to play "like Erick Dampier."

O'Neal is taking the high road now, saying he was just messing around back then.

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"He's a good center, been playing well, him and Mr. Diop, they've been playing very well," O'Neal said. "We ain't going to make this series about words. It's two organizations that have never been there, two classy organizations. We're going to do this the right way and just duke it out on the basketball court."

Dampier also would rather settle things under the basket instead of in print.

"I think that's behind us now," he said. "We're both trying to win a world championship. I don't need any motivation. Just go out and play."

Dampier stressed the importance of beating O'Neal down the court, then preventing him from getting to his favorite spots on the floor. That basically means pushing him as far from the basket as possible. He also noted that it won't be easy since O'Neal gets the ball so often.

However Dallas defends O'Neal, it won't be a gut decision. The Mavs often base their lineups on statistical analysis of their opponent's various lineup combinations, so they know which type of player is best suited to be on the court at a specific time.

In the Western Conference finals, Dallas used the more athletic Diop and other smaller, quicker players because the Phoenix Suns didn't use a true center. Dampier was limited to 24 minutes over six games; the fact Shaq didn't crack wise about that shows he's on his best behavior.

"Even though I had lot of games of rest, I should be ready for this series," Dampier said. "I kept a good attitude. I tried to still work at practice, keep myself in game shape."

Veteran Jerry Stackhouse said the Mavericks can't worry too much about O'Neal. He even supported that contrarian view with a strong reference point: Tim Duncan.

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The Big Fundamental, as O'Neal dubbed him, averaged 32.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game against Dallas in the second round, but the Mavericks won the series.

"Shaq's going to get points, he's going to get some easy opportunities, just don't get discouraged about that," Stackhouse said. "We didn't get discouraged by Tim Duncan. Those are just things that can happen. True dominant players are going to find a way to get their numbers. We have to find a way to control the other guys."

One thing Duncan and Diop must especially avoid is foul trouble. Third-string center D.J. Mbenga is suspended from the first four games, leaving spindly Keith Van Horn or Dirk Nowitzki as the next option.

Of course, fouling O'Neal isn't such a bad thing considering how poorly he shoots free throws. It's worth noting that the Hack-a-Shaq strategy was started by Dallas, when Johnson's predecessor Don Nelson was at his wit's end trying to stop O'Neal from, well, mashing the Mavs.

Big deal in Big D: Mavs in the NBA Finals

2006-06-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Like most longtime Dallas Mavericks fans, Mark Cuban remembers the bad old days, when "postseason play" meant being part of the draft lottery.

Boy, how times have changed.

Injected with Cuban's cash, Dirk Nowitzki's jumper and Avery Johnson's leadership, the Mavs are headed to the NBA finals for the first time, starting Thursday night at home against the Miami Heat.

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"We're excited, obviously," Johnson said after the Mavericks erased an 18-point deficit to beat Phoenix 102-93 Saturday night and earn the silver trophy that goes to the Western Conference champion. "Nobody is ripping their shirts off or going too crazy, but they should celebrate.

"But we know we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

With the Mavs taking Sunday off and several days after that to delve into how they will try slowing Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, it's worth looking back at how far this franchise has come, both over the long term of its 26 years and the short term of an uncertain start to this season.

The Mavericks were born in 1980, became contenders amazingly quickly, then faded faster than you can say Roy Tarpley. They were so bad in the 1990s that they had the lowest winning percentage of any team in major pro sports in North America - yes, even worse than the Clippers.

"You could walk up two minutes before game time and buy a front-row seat for $10," said Cuban, a cheap-seat regular long before he became an Internet billionaire.

When he bought the team in January 2000, Dallas was 9-23 and well on its way to collecting lottery pingpong balls for a 10th straight year.

"Just to speculate we would make the playoffs in the next five years was heresy," Cuban recalled Saturday night in Phoenix, wearing his new Western Conference champion hat and T-shirt. "Now, we've gotten to this."

Beyond making the finals, Dallas has re-established itself as a playoff perennial. The Mavs have made six straight trips to the playoffs, the longest run in team history, and done so with only one constant: Nowitzki.

While the players, coaches and even the home court have changed, the most important shift was the dedication to defense that Johnson brought when he replaced Don Nelson late last season.

"He demanded it," said Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations and Don Nelson's son. "That's the difference."

The way Nowitzki and the Mavs have played lately, this finals breakthrough isn't surprising. Think back to October and it's a different story.

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Dallas was widely seen as a middle-of-the pack playoff team, with the ever-improving Nowitzki leading the way, a deep rotation of solid players around him and Johnson, in his first full season, having to sort it all out.

The top story line was Doug Christie replacing longtime star Michael Finley. Christie ended up being gone quickly and Adrian Griffin, who was sitting on a sofa waiting for his phone to ring, ended up becoming the designated defender in the starting lineup.

Injuries were a big challenge, too. It was never anything like Phoenix losing Amare Stoudemire, but for a long while it seemed like every time someone came out of the trainer's room, someone else went in.

"I missed the first 20-some games of the season, then we had other guys that were injured," forward Jerry Stackhouse said. "And we were still able to just hold everything together. I think that built a lot of character for our team."

Johnson's biggest in-season move was making a starter of DeSagana Diop - until then, known only for being a huge bust in Cleveland - and turning Erick Dampier into a high-priced reserve. All the Mavericks did after that was win 13 straight games and 20 of 21.

Asked Saturday if that's when he knew this might be a special team, Johnson instead pointed to their only three-game losing streak, all on the road in late March.

"From the beginning, I thought we could be very competitive and I thought we would have a chance," said Johnson, who coached the West in the All-Star game and was voted the coach of the year. "But you never really know how it's going to turn out."

Dallas wound up tying a franchise record with 60 wins. Josh Howard established himself as a terrific player at both ends of the court and Jason Terry proved to be a reliable scorer and a clutch shooter. Nowitzki finished third in MVP voting for a second straight year and likely would win if the voting was done now.

The Mavs were the only team to pull off a first-round sweep, then they outlasted the defending champion Spurs in a tense seven-game series. They knocked the Suns out in six games, despite losing the opener at home and dropping Game 4 by 20 points.

In the finale, Dallas was awful early, but got within 12 at halftime. The defense kicked in during the third quarter and the offense broke things open in the fourth.

"It's about sticking together when you're down and when you're up," Nowitzki said. "You have to believe in the coach and the system, and I think ultimately that's what we did."

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What they've done is something the 25 previous Mavs teams couldn't.

And there's still one round left.

"The expectations just grow," Cuban said. "Now, we're not a team that couldn't make it, we're not a team that's soft. We're a team that's going to the finals."

Shaq, Wade lead Heat's way to NBA Finals

2006-06-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

There was no champagne. Not yet, anyway.

After an offseason of often-criticized changes Pat Riley made to surround his superstars with more talent, the Miami Heat broke through to new heights - and have no intention to stop climbing now.

"The job," Shaquille O'Neal said, "is not done."

Ah, but there's only one more step - the NBA Finals, where the Heat are headed for the first time.

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O'Neal had 28 points and 16 rebounds and Dwyane Wade - who spent part of his day in a hospital battling dehydration and flu-like symptoms - added 14 points as the Heat ended the Detroit Pistons' two-year reign as Eastern Conference champions with an 95-78 win Friday.

Jason Williams, one of Riley's prized and numerous offseason additions, came up huge with Wade lagging in Game 6, scoring 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting.

The Heat now await either Dallas or Phoenix in the Finals, which start Thursday.

"We know right now, we still have a job ahead of us," Heat forward James Posey, another newcomer - like Gary Payton and Antoine Walker, two title-starved veterans - brought in last summer by Riley in a quest to surround his big guns with extra firepower. "We're not going to get too high right now. We're not going to get too low. Four more wins - that's the most important thing."

The party started early. Wade walked off with 1:45 left, right index finger raised before he slapped Riley's hand. And after the final second ticked off, white streamers fell from the ceiling as the Heat players waved championship caps and T-shirts. Soon, though, O'Neal issued an expected warning.

"We're not done," he said.

Richard Hamilton had 33 points for Detroit, which finished the regular season with an NBA-best 64-18 record and came in confident after ending Miami's season here a year ago in Game 7 - in part because Wade and O'Neal were battling injury.

Wade clearly wasn't at his best Friday.

O'Neal was. Hence, the difference. He made 12 of 14 shots, making sure this chance wouldn't slip away.

"Miami played great," Hamilton said. "They deserved it."

And the proud Pistons weren't shy about showing their respect to the new East champs. Rasheed Wallace hugged several Miami players before leaving the court, and Tayshaun Prince said "Miami was definitely the better team."

"I don't want to make excuses," Pistons guard Chauncey Billups said. "They flat-out beat us."

Detroit only shot 33 percent in the game, with Billups going 3-for-14 and Rasheed Wallace going 4-for-12. The Pistons were outrebounded 48-39 and, perhaps most telling, let the Heat shoot 56 percent from the floor - after insisting that defense would be their top priority.

"We didn't play how we play," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.

Wade was 1-for-6 with four points in the first half. Didn't matter. O'Neal and Williams more than carried the early scoring load, helping stake Miami to an 47-36 lead at intermission.

"Jason Williams," Wade said, "did an unbelievable job tonight."

O'Neal was 9-for-11 from the field for 19 points in the opening two quarters, his biggest first-half effort so far in these playoffs. And Williams - who was 13-for-30 from the floor in the first five games - was 5-for-5 in the half, the last of those a pullup with 4:14 left that gave Miami a 38-27 lead.

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Detroit got within 40-33 on a pair of free throws by Hamilton with 2:52 left, but O'Neal scored six straight Miami points in a span of 2:05 and sparked a half-closing 8-3 run by the Heat.

And really, the outcome was never in doubt. The Pistons were within 10 midway through the third quarter, when Wade - who missed the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half and remained in the locker room, getting IVs to help with his hydration - finally started to roll.

He had 10 points in the quarter, hitting his last four shots - including a jumper with 1 second left for a 72-53 lead, as the sellout crowd began going delirious, the realization that the franchise's 18-year-itch was about to be scratched.

"I just wanted to help my teammates," Wade said. "And God gave me the strength."

Hamilton and the Pistons made one more run, his jumper with 6:24 left getting Detroit within 80-67. He made a steal 17 seconds later, but O'Neal blocked his layup - then followed with a dunk on the other end, as Wade pumped his fist and Riley clapped knowingly.

Minutes later, the championship was theirs.

Riley and owner Micky Arison stood arm-in-arm as they awaited the presentation of the Eastern Conference championship trophy from NBA vice president Stu Jackson. Alonzo Mourning - the face of this franchise for so long - stood behind them, nodding and holding a finger aloft.

"I'm happy and pleased for Micky Arison, who did everything in his power to get to this point," Mourning said. "We went through a lot of pain as a franchise over the years."

Then Riley lifted the silver trophy, as a sea of players' hands reached in for a touch - with one notable exception.

"I only celebrate it," O'Neal said, "when it's really over. ... The job is not done."

Riley is taking his third team to the Finals, after the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s and the blue-collar Knicks of the mid-1990s. He came here a decade ago, envisioning a parade down Biscayne Boulevard.

He's never been closer.

"Jason, myself and Posey, we wanted to prove that coach didn't make the wrong decisions," Walker said. "Everybody on this team made a lot of sacrifices and it's all coming together at the right time."

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And O'Neal is now about to wear his third jersey in the Finals. He got Orlando there, then took the Lakers there four times - winning three titles, the lone defeat coming in 2004 to the Pistons, who also ended his first season in Miami.

"Four more wins," O'Neal said, "and we'll be all right."

They'll be more than all right. They'll be champions.

Pistons avoid elimination, force Game 6

2006-06-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

Detroit's defense would not let the Pistons' season end.

The Pistons got back to their swarming ways when the Miami Heat had the ball, and Tayshaun Prince scored a career playoff-high 29 points to lift Detroit to a 91-78 win Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Heat did not score in the final 3 1/2 minutes while Detroit pulled away with the last nine points of the game. Miami also hurt itself by going 6-of-20 from the free throw line.

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"We just came out aggressive like we talked about and played Pistons basketball," Chauncey Billups said. "There's pressure on them now, now that they are home."

Miami hosts Game 6 on Friday night with a chance to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

"Ain't no pressure on us at all, we have a golden opportunity to win Game 6 on our home floor," Miami's Dwyane Wade said. "They're the defending conference champions, there's no pressure on us."

Wade scored a series-low 23 points - eight below his previous series average - and Shaquille O'Neal had 19 points for the Heat.

Billups had 17 points and 10 assists, Richard Hamilton had 16 points and a career playoff-high 10 rebounds, and reserve Antonio McDyess provided a boost with 10 of his 12 points coming after halftime.

Miami, which trailed by as much as 11 in the first half, made it 51-all early in the third quarter.

Detroit's defense created a little cushion in what was a tightly contest game for much of the night.

Prince had a steal and a dunk, then on the ensuing possession Ben Wallace brought the crowd to its feet.

Just when O'Neal was about to throw down another one of his backboard-shaking dunks, the 6-foot-7 Wallace leaped and stunted O'Neal's slam - forcing a jump ball, and putting the 7-1 O'Neal on his back.

"It was a big play - a momentum-changer," Wallace said.

About a minute later, Wallace's three-point play - yes, he made the free throw - gave the Pistons a 60-53 lead.

"Everybody brought energy," Prince said. "When we move, we're a better basketball team."

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Detroit had a 73-65 lead after three quarters, and Prince had already tied his career playoff-high with 24 points. The Pistons stayed in control during the final quarter.

"They took their defense up to another level," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "It was very intense."

Despite the loss, history says the Heat will reach the NBA Finals for the first time. Teams leading conference or division finals 3-1, like Miami was against Detroit, have advanced 40 of 43 times and 16 straight.

But the Pistons have been a trend-breaking team with their comebacks while becoming the first team since the Chicago Bulls of the early 1990s to reach the conference finals in four straight years.

With four of its current starters playing key roles, Detroit rallied to advance after trailing the Orlando Magic 3-1 in the first round of the 2003 playoffs.

That became the first of four 3-2 deficits the Pistons have overcome the past four postseasons - including last year's Eastern Conference finals against Miami, and the previous round this year against Cleveland.

Entering the game, Wade was averaging nearly 31 points and making almost 70 percent of his shots while O'Neal was averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pistons missed six of their first seven shots - perhaps showing some nerves with their season and reputation on the line - but trailed by just three points.

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Four Pistons contributed to an 8-0 run that put them ahead 10-5 and maintained the lead and were up 25-20 at halftime.

Another combination of four Pistons combined to score eight unanswered points, putting Detroit ahead 35-24 - its largest lead up to that point. Miami responded with a 16-4 run, taking the lead on Wade's dunk off Alonzo Mourning's full-court pass.

Detroit led 47-43 at halftime, with Prince and Hamilton combining or 19 of its points and Wade being held to 10 points - his lowest total at halftime in the series.

Suns need to kick-start offense

2006-05-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sporting a small wound over his right eye, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash was backed up against a wall as he met with reporters after practice Monday.

That's where Nash's Suns will find themselves if they don't play better in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. They're feeling bruised, but not beaten, after a 95-88 Game 3 loss to Dallas on Sunday left them trailing 2-1.

Afterward Nash, who got cut early in the game, said the Suns needed to show more fight. On Monday, Nash said he wasn't trying to send a message through the media because he had told his teammates the same thing.

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"I think at times we've been a little too passive," Nash said.

The Suns have to change that quickly or they will be eliminated one step short of the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.

"It's a must-win-game situation Tuesday night," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We win that, it's a two-out-of-three series. Obviously they have home court, but we've shown that we can win there."

Nash said one reason for the Suns' struggles is the absence of guard Raja Bell, who has missed the last two games with a strained left calf. Bell is not expected to play in Game 4.

Bell scored only eight points in Phoenix's 121-118 Game 1 victory at Dallas. But he brings a fire that the Suns have lacked in the last two games. It was Bell who floored Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant in Game 5 of the opening round, drawing a flagrant foul and a one-game suspension. The Suns won that game and the next two to rally from a 3-1 deficit.

Bell said he agreed with Nash's assessment that the Suns had their shoulders slumped in the second half Sunday night, when they scored only 36 points.

"I did see it a little bit, and I don't know what to attribute that to," Bell said. "I think we have to find that (energy) from whoever's suited up."

Phoenix seemed to slump after an altercation late in the first half between the Mavericks' Jason Terry and the Suns' Tim Thomas. Thomas had drawn a flagrant foul from Josh Howard, who hit Thomas in the face as the Phoenix forward drove to the basket. As Thomas headed to the foul line, he walked through a group of Mavs, and he and Terry exchanged shoves. Both players were assessed technicals.

"It's just a situation where we're standing together and he walks right through us," said Terry, who had been suspended for one game for throwing a punch in the second round against San Antonio. "Hey, stuff happens in a game. It's the Western Conference finals and guys are going to do whatever it takes.

"That was just a situation where it was kind of edgy," Terry said. "The momentum was shifting either way. They benefited from it more than we did."

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Actually, the altercation sparked the Mavs. They trailed by 10 points after Thomas made his free throws but pulled to 52-47 at the half. Including a 12-2 burst at the start of the third quarter, Dallas outscored the Suns 17-2 after the technicals were assessed.

In each of the series' first three games, the Mavs have trailed at halftime but rallied to lead in the fourth quarter. In Game 1 they let the Suns come back to win, but in the last two games the Mavs have outscored Phoenix by a combined 106-82 after intermission.

That gap indicates that the Mavericks are adjusting to the Suns' up-tempo style, and that the Suns have been unable to cope.

Phoenix had only 13 assists in Game 3 after averaging 23.5 the first two games. The Suns did not record a steal Sunday night, which was a big reason why they managed only four fast-break points (Dallas had 14).

When the Suns don't run, the Suns are done. The Mavericks sense that, which is why they've committed to hustling back on defense.

"We still had some malfunctions, and they just didn't make some of their shots," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. "Sometimes stats are a little bit misleading. We think, compared to Game 1, which was pretty bad, our transition defense has improved, but it wasn't flawless."

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Throughout their 54-win season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Suns have maintained that they don't worry about their opponents' strategy, and that they can dictate the pace whenever they want.

They still believe that, even though the Mavericks have proved them wrong in the last two games.

"We're not working the ball," Nash said. "We're kind of just falling asleep at the wheel. We're not playing our style."

Dirk powers Mavs to 2-1 series lead

2006-05-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

As Dallas prepared for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson urged his team to play with the same desperation it showed in a Game 2 victory.

The Mavericks did just that, and now they're two victories away from the first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

Sparked by a first-half shoving match between Dallas guard Jason Terry and Phoenix forward Tim Thomas, the Mavericks defeated Phoenix 95-88 to take a 2-1 lead Sunday night.

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Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and 17 rebounds for the Mavs, who overcame an 11-point first-half deficit and regained home-court advantage they lost in the series opener. Josh Howard added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks.

"We tried to hang in there," Johnson said. "We just battled for 48 minutes. The game is never over against the Suns.

"Teams are so evenly matched at this time of year," he said. "It comes down to will. This team is very resilient."

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Phoenix's 88 points are playoff low for the highest-scoring team in the playoffs. The Suns hadn't lost consecutive games since they dropped three in a row to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. They dropped their second straight game without Raja Bell, who is out with a strained left calf, and dropped to 1-5 with Bell out in the regular season and playoffs.

"We kept battling, but we just didn't get the thing done," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We didn't play real smart."

Steve Nash had 21 points and seven assists for the Suns and Boris Diaw added 20 points.

Tempers flared late in the first half, when Howard was called for a flagrant foul for hitting Thomas in the face as the Phoenix forward drove to the basket. As Thomas walked to the foul line, he and Terry exchanged shoves, and both players were assessed technicals.

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Terry had been suspended for one game for throwing a punch in the second round against San Antonio.

Thomas made both free throws to give Phoenix a 52-42 lead with 2:05 left in the half.

After the scuffle, the Mavericks scored the last five points of the quarter to cut it to 52-47 at halftime.

Dallas kept rolling after intermission, outscoring the Suns 10-2 to take a 57-54 lead.

The Mavericks outscored the Suns 15-2 in a seven-minute stretch after the technicals were called. A three-pointer by Nash ended the spurt, but Phoenix managed only 16 points in the third quarter, a series low.

"We really resorted to a lot of one-on-one play," D'Antoni said.

Dallas took a 72-68 lead into the fourth quarter and appeared ready to reclaim home-court advantage. But the Suns tied it at 72 on a jumper by Diaw and Shawn Marion's dunk on a missed lay-up by Leandro Barbosa.

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The Mavericks answered with an 11-2 run, capped by Keith Van Horn's three-point play to take an 83-74 lead with 6:12 left.

With Dallas leading 90-84 and less than two minutes to play, Nowitzki appeared to miss the rim as the shot clock expired. The Mavericks grabbed the rebound and were allowed to keep possession even as the Suns' bench exploded in protest.

Terry's 12-footer in the lane put the Mavericks up 92-84 with 33 seconds to go.

Pistons win Game 2, pull even with Heat

2006-05-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Pistons got off to a great start, had a double-digit lead with less than a minute left and barely hung on.

Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal were spectacular for the Miami Heat.

Ultimately, however, all that matters is that the Eastern Conference finals are even.

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Tayshaun Prince tied a career playoff high with 24 points and had 11 rebounds, Richard Hamilton scored 22 points, and Detroit bounced back - as usual - and beat Miami 92-88 Thursday night in Game 2.

"They came in here and won a game, now it's our turn to go down there and do the same thing," Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups said.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Miami.

The Heat almost took a stunning and commanding 2-0 lead with a frantic rally - scoring 17 points in the final 1:46 after trailing by 12.

"I'm going to go to that offense in the beginning of the night," Miami coach Pat Riley joked.

Wade had 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while O'Neal was dominant with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

"I've got a busted lip and a black eye," Detroit center Ben Wallace said after defending O'Neal for much of the night. "But you do what you have to do."

O'Neal wants to inflict more damage.

"I think we need to focus on getting it inside," O'Neal said. "We took way too many jump shots."

Detroit, which led by as much as 14 points in the first half, went ahead 57-39 early in the second half on Hamilton's layup after Billups scored his first points on a 3-pointer and a layup.

A 10-2 run pulled Miami within six points midway through the fourth quarter. Rasheed Wallace's 3-pointer gave the Pistons an 81-71 lead with 2:41 left.

While thousands of fans headed home, Miami wasn't ready to concede even though it trailed 85-75 with just under a minute to go.

Wade's 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left made it 90-88 after Prince was called for a 5-second violation on an inbounds pass, though the lanky forward said he called timeout.

"We were desperate - we should've played that way from the start," Wade said.

The Pistons sealed the victory when Billups connected on two free throws and Lindsey Hunter made a steal.

"When you start playing not to lose, you don't play aggressive," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "You wait for the clock to keep rolling."

The Heat had won four straight road games and five in a row overall.

Billups had 18 points and eight assists, Rasheed Wallace scored 16 and Ben Wallace added nine points and 12 rebounds.

"When we play that way as a team, we're tough to beat," Ben Wallace said.

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Miami beat Detroit 91-86 in Game 1 and snatched home-court advantage away from the top-seeded team in the NBA playoffs. The Heat's new-look surrounding cast came through in that win - while its superstars were in foul trouble - with Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams combining for 41 points.

In Game 2, that trio contributed just 25 points.

"You have to have four or five guys play well," Riley said.

Miami led 11-0 in the series opener in its first game in a week, while Detroit missed its first six shots playing two days after being pushed to seven games by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Game 2 provided a stark contrast, with the Pistons appearing to have much more energy - until the final minutes.

Detroit got off to such a good start that offensively challenged Ben Wallace was outscoring the Heat 7-6 midway through the first quarter. Prince made a 3-pointer that capped a 13-0 run to put Detroit up 18-6.

The Pistons led 25-12 after making 56 percent of their shots and holding Miami to 25 percent. It was the Heat's lowest scoring quarter of the playoffs, and the fewest points a team has scored against the Pistons in the first quarter this postseason.

Detroit had success in the first quarter keeping Wade out of the lane, forcing him to settle for three missed jumpers, and he had two points on free throws. He had 13 of his 25 points in the first quarter of Game 1 after making all six of his shots.

Wade got closer to the basket in the second quarter and also connected from the outside, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Detroit scored the last seven points of the first half to take a 48-37 lead.

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Wade and O'Neal combined for 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting in the first half, while the rest of the Heat had just 11 points after missing 14 of 18 shots.

"Guys had shots, but they didn't go down," Wade said.

Even though Billups didn't score in the first half, he had five assists and directed a free-flowing offense that helped Hamilton score 20, Prince 12 and Ben Wallace nine on 4-of-4 shooting.

Diaw's efforts cap Suns' thrilling Game 1 win

2006-05-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

So far in the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have pushed around Pau Gasol and outlasted Tim Duncan.

But Steve Nash and an agile big man? They still haven't figured that one out.

With Nash picking up where he left off against his former team last postseason and Boris Diaw filling the role of Amare Stoudemire, the Phoenix Suns erased a late nine-point deficit and beat the Mavericks 121-118 Wednesday night in a thrilling, fast-paced start to the Western Conference finals.

Nash scored 10 of his 27 points in the final 3:26, then set up Shawn Marion on a go-ahead basket with 43 seconds left. After Dallas regained the lead on a jumper by Devin Harris with 4.8 seconds to go, Diaw swished a turnaround 7-footer with a half-second remaining on a play originally designed for Nash.

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"I saw their bench basically yelling out exactly what was going to happen, so I was like, 'OK, Plan B,"' Nash said. "I was about to call timeout, but ... Tim (Thomas) got it inside and Boris made a heck of a play."

Diaw scored a career-high 34 points, showing on a big stage why he was voted the league's most improved player and why the Suns are back in the conference finals for the second straight year despite having had Stoudemire for only three games.

"At one point there was a label on him that he was a soft, non-competitive player," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I'm telling you he's just the opposite. ... He's one of the most competitive guys we have, just an intelligent basketball player that knows how to play."

Harris scored a career-high 30 and Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 19 rebounds, but the Mavericks blew their late lead with a spurt of turnovers and a lack of defensive stops when they needed them most.

"We were just bad tonight in a lot of different areas that we have to improve on in a hurry," coach Avery Johnson said.

It shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, though, because the combination of Nash and Stoudemire carried the Suns past the Mavs in the second round of last year's playoffs. Stoudemire scored between 30 and 40 each of the first three games, then Nash burned them with between 34 and 48 over the last three games.

Dallas fans might not be able to take more of these heart-stopping finishes this postseason. The Mavericks were coming off a second-round series against San Antonio that included six games decided at the end, including Game 7 in overtime.

One consolation for the Mavs is that they also lost the opener to the Spurs. Another is that Game 2 is in Dallas on Friday night.

For Phoenix, this furious finish stuff is becoming fun.

The Suns lost all seven regular-season games decided by three points or less, then dropped another early in the playoffs. But now they've won two nail-biters, having also beaten the Clippers 94-91 in Game 3 of the previous round.

Both teams lost starters to leg injuries - Josh Howard for Dallas (sprained right ankle) and Raja Bell (strained left calf) for Phoenix. The Suns also are concerned about Marion, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds but appeared to hurt his left ankle in the final minutes.

Asked if he'll be able to play Game 2, Marion said, "Hey, I don't have a choice."

Howard is having an MRI on Thursday to determine if and when he'll return. Bell left the locker room on crutches.

"I felt it pop," he said. "It's pretty painful. But I've got to be optimistic. I want to play. We'll see how it feels in the morning."

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Johnson said Howard's absence creates "a big void" on both ends of the court. Besides covering Marion, he's one of Dallas' best attackers. He scored six points in his six minutes; Dallas is 21-0 this season when he scores 20 points.

Although both teams were coming off Game 7 wins Monday night, there was no emotional or physical letdown either way. The track meet everyone expected was off and running from the start.

It was 62-58 at halftime and both teams were making at least half their shots. They were even more accurate in the third quarter, surpassing the Game 1 scoring total from the Eastern Conference final between Miami and Detroit before the fourth even began.

Dallas went ahead for the first time with Harris leading a 13-2 run midway through the third quarter. Then a 13-0 burst at the end of the third and start of the fourth looked like it was going to be the difference, especially with the Mavs still up 114-105 with 3:43 left.

Then, Nash - the league's two-time MVP - decided it was time to stop distributing and start scoring. He scored Phoenix's next 10 points on a pair of 3-pointers, a layup and two foul shots.

"I guess, in a way, I tried to be a little more aggressive," said Nash, who had 16 assists, the most by anyone this postseason and one shy of his career high.

Harris, now in Nash's old role of driving the Mavs' up-tempo attack, nearly made Nash's big effort a side note with his shot. But there was still plenty of time for the Suns.

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After Diaw's shot, Dallas had a throw-in from near the Phoenix bench, but Marquis Daniels missed Nowitzki and threw the ball out of bounds. The Suns tacked on two more points with 0.2 left on a pair of free throws by Thomas, who scored 17.

While officials took their time deciding how much time was remaining, fans began streaming out and Nowitzki threw the ball at the front of the scorers table in anger.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 16 points for the Mavs and Jason Terry added 15. Daniels had nine and Keith Van Horn, who is likely to see a lot of time this series, scored seven on 3-of-11 shooting. He was 1-of-7 on 3-pointers.

Harris, who had only nine points the two previous games, made eight straight shots in the second half and finished 12-of-17.

Raptors win the lottery, get No. 1 pick

2006-05-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Bryan Colangelo's rebuilding job as president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors got a little easier.

Colangelo and the Raptors had their first major breakthrough Tuesday night, winning the NBA lottery and the right to pick first in the June 28 draft in New York.

"There's some jockeying that can be done," Colangelo said. "Maybe we'll trade down and end up with two players out of the draft. We'll see. We've got a lot of options. This is a great day and an exciting day for this organization."

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With the Raptors coming off a 27-55 season, it was easy to see how important the lottery was to Colangelo, hired in February after leaving the Phoenix Suns.

When the contenders for the top pick were reduced to Toronto, Chicago and Charlotte, Colangelo got fidgety during a commercial break at the NBA Entertainment Studios, taking a drink of water and straightening his tie and jacket several times.

"All of a sudden some thoughts and ideas started racing through my mind when we got passed over with the No. 5 announcement," Colangelo said. "My heart started to beat a little more. I wanted to win it. Holding this ball with the No. 1 on it is a lot better than holding it with No. 2."

Figuring out what to do with it will be his first major decision.

"Right now we've got a month to go and we'll see what comes our way and see what we can dig up," said Colangelo, whose team only had an 8.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.

There doesn't seem to be a definitive No. 1 pick for the June 28 draft to be held in New York.

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge and LSU forward Tyrus Thomas - all underclassmen - are considered top candidates.

Under the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, this is the first year high school players won't be eligible for the draft.

The Raptors have some nice pieces to build on with All-Star Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham. And they have salary cap room.

"We go into this draft not only holding the No. 1 pick but with the cap flexibility to take on a pretty large contract," Colangelo said. "So the combination of those two is pretty powerful. Hopefully, we can manipulate it the right way and make some good decisions. I think at this point we're in a no-lose situation."

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Colangelo has a proven track record. He was voted the NBA's 2005 executive of the year for retooling the Suns, who won a league-high 62 games. He left Phoenix after not getting a contract extension.

Toronto fired general manager Rob Babcock on Jan. 26.

The biggest losers in the lottery were the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers, the NBA's two worst teams.

Portland (21-61) slipped all the way to fourth despite having a 25 percent chance of winning the top pick.

Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson believes his team will still get a good player.

"You may find a player with as big an impact at No. 4 or even No. 6 as you may at No. 1," Patterson said.

New Orleans guard Chris Paul was the fourth pick in last year's draft and he won the rookie of the year award.

The Knicks (23-59) were losers even before the lottery. They gave their No. 1 pick to Chicago in a preseason deal for center Eddy Curry, and then they posted their worst season since 1985-86, Patrick Ewing's rookie season.

The Bulls (41-41) struck a bonanza, getting rid of an unhappy player, making the playoffs in the process and getting the No. 2 pick overall.

John Paxson, the Bulls executive vice president, said getting the Knicks' first-round pick was the key to the trade.

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"This is kind of like found money," Paxson said. "I had no idea I would be here."

NBA commissioner David Stern refused to be drawn into the Knicks' problems, which include rumors that Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown won't be back for a second season.

"You'd rather that franchises not be in turmoil," Stern said.

Charlotte will have the third pick, which coincides with its third-worst record. Atlanta dropped from No. 4 to fifth overall. The other nine teams in the lottery stayed in the same order as their records.

Minnesota is sixth and will be followed by Boston, Houston, Golden State, Seattle, Orlando, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah.

Spurs rally, but lose Game 7 at home in OT

2006-05-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks squandered every opportunity they had to finally overtake the San Antonio Spurs - except the last one.

They lost the season-long battle for home-court advantage. They squandered a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals and watched a 20-point lead in Game 7 dry up as well.
Then, just as another opportunity was getting away, Nowitzki slashed to the basket for the game-tying layup and free throw in the final seconds of regulation. Then he made a game-saving block at the other end.

Five minutes later, Nowitzki and the Mavericks had finished off the Spurs with a 119-111 overtime victory Monday night.

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"I told Dirk, 'Did you see that? It just ran out of the door," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "The monkey that's been on our back for so long, it's gone."

Not just shaken off the Mavericks' backs, but kicked off with a resounding blow that Dallas had failed to deliver in the previous two games.

"This is a testament to our perseverance," said Mavericks guard Jason Terry, who came back from his Game 6 suspension for punching former Maverick Michael Finely below the belt to score 27 points.

"We showed a lot of character."

What they really showed was they could put away a championship-caliber team.
"It was a special series," Nowitzki said after scoring 37 points. "We just believed it was our time to win it."

Tim Duncan scored 41 to lead San Antonio.

Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals for second time in four years, but with almost an entirely new team. Nowitzki is the only remaining starter from the team that was eliminated by the Spurs in 2003.

"We battled against a championship team, a team with a lot of guts," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. "Now we haven't won the championship, but how about those Mavs?"

The Mavericks have never made it to the NBA Finals, but they'll go into the next round as the favorites against the Phoenix Suns, who eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers in another Game 7 on Monday.

The Spurs won a franchise-record 63 games, grabbed the West's top seed and were thinking this would finally be the year they repeated as champions. Instead, they'll have to try again next year to add to the titles they won in 1999, '03 and '05.

The Mavericks nearly kept pace. They won 60 games in a regular season that was only a hint of their superb meeting in the playoffs.

"This is the best series I've ever played," Duncan said. "Both teams gave it their all."
The tight games and taught emotions boiled over with Terry punching Finley, and the volatile Cuban admitting to the Dallas Morning News before the final that he cursed the Spurs' Bruce Bowen after Game 6.

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The Mavericks built their 20-point lead early by spreading the floor and getting to the rim, only to watch San Antonio change the pace and rally with defense and Duncan.

Nowitzki blew past Duncan for a soft dunk for the first basket and the Mavericks blistered the Spurs with 15-of-18 shooting for 37 points in the opening quarter.

The Spurs changed the pace in the second half by pushing the ball to Duncan, who had his fifth game of the series with at least 30 points compared to just twice during the regular season.
"He's unbelievable and unguardable," Nowitzki said. "He was amazing all series. We never could find and answer for him."

Duncan's free throws and layup cut the Mavericks' lead to 84-82 as the home crowd chanted "M-V-P!" The Spurs hit 33 of 39 free throws in the game. Duncan was 17-of-23.

"The first half was the worst half of basketball we've played all season," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We dug down and gave ourselves a chance to win."

The Spurs, who trailed almost the entire game, led 104-101 on Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation. Nowitzki then drove around Bowen, who blocked his potential game-winner in Game 5, for a layup and was fouled by Ginobili at the basket.

The 7-foot German, who finished third in the MVP voting in the regular season, hit the free throw to tie it with 21 seconds remaining.

"He willed it to the basket," Mavericks guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "Everybody did something special in this game. It was great to have (Jason Terry) back in the lineup. He came up big."
The Spurs had a chance to win it in regulation. Ginobili drove the basket with about six seconds left. His shot missed, Duncan grabbed the rebound and Nowitzki got a hand in to block what would have been a point-blank game-winner.

It was a redeeming final few seconds for Nowitzki, who had the ball in his hands in Dallas' three losses with a chance to win or tie it in the final seconds.

"I saw everything slipping away, the great season we had," Nowitzki said. "If there's a drive to the lane, just take it in there."

Dallas opened overtime with baskets by Josh Howard and Stackhouse, and Terry's two free throws quickly pushed the lead to 114-108.

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Howard, who scored 18 points, became the third Dallas player to foul out in overtime. But after their furious rally to take the lead, only to watch it disappear in the final seconds of regulation, the Spurs had little left in overtime.

Duncan missed three close shots and DeSagana Diop, in the game late because of Dallas' foul troubles, ripped down a pair of key rebounds on both ends of the court to help preserve the win.

Finley missed two long 3-pointers in the final seconds as Spurs fans started leaving the building.

"We put ourselves in a position to win the game," Duncan said. "We fought all the way back and in overtime we didn't have much left in the tank."

Pistons reach fourth straight East finals

2006-05-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

In a single half, the Detroit Pistons taught LeBron James everything he needs to know about defense in the playoffs - and finished off yet another series comeback.

While Detroit moves on to its fourth straight Eastern Conference finals, the 21-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers superstar is left to ponder his dizzying lesson.

"They trapped me, they went under screens, they went over screens," said James, who was held to one second-half field goal Sunday in the Cavs' 79-61 Game 7 loss to Detroit. "I've seen almost every defense that I could possibly see for the rest of my career in this series.

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"That's why they're Eastern Conference champions, and that's why they keep winning."

Playing in his first postseason, James was sensational at times for Cleveland, pushing the NBA title favorites to the brink of elimination.

"There's nobody on his level that can get his teammates involved like he does," said Tayshaun Prince, who led the Pistons with 20 points. "He sees the plays before they even happen, and no one else does that. That's the reason this went seven games."

The Cavs were down by only two at halftime; then Detroit simply smothered James in the second half and took command with a 19-6 run that started in the third quarter and ended with a 67-52 lead midway through the fourth. James and the upstart Cavaliers were rendered helpless when it mattered most.

Typical Pistons.

The Cavs led 3-2 in the second-round series and had a chance to eliminate the Pistons at home in Game 6 largely because James, who didn't live up to the hype - he surpassed it. But what the Pistons can do on defense - when they choose to play with intensity, like in a closeout game - probably is just as frightening for opponents.

Detroit held Cleveland to the lowest-point total in any Game 7 in NBA history; the third-lowest total in any playoff game since 1955; and 23 points in the second half, which tied the fewest scored in a postseason half since the shot clock was introduced a half-century ago.
The Cavs made just 31 percent of their shots and scored fewer points than any team has this postseason.

Take a look at low-scoring records in NBA history, and you'll see Detroit frequently on almost every list.

"In a pressure situation, you do what you do best, and for us, that's defending," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "We locked down."

In a rematch of last year's conference finals, Detroit hosts Miami on Tuesday night in Game 1. The Heat have been resting since eliminating New Jersey last Tuesday.

"We can catch our breath for about eight hours," Saunders said.

The Pistons are the first team to reach the conference finals in four straight years since the Chicago Bulls did it from 1990-93. Detroit has remained among the NBA's elite in recent years by clamping down on defense when necessary; that time arrived in the second half Sunday against a franchise in the second round for the first time since 1993.

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James carried the Cavs in the first half, scoring 21 points and outscoring the rest of his teammates, but Cleveland struggled to find open spots after halftime. James finished with 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting.

The Pistons held the Cavs to a franchise playoff-low 10 points in the third quarter, and James didn't make a field goal in the second half until his three-point play with 4:42 left in the game. By then, it was too late.

James' teammates didn't help much, with the only double-figures scorer being Larry Hughes, who scored 10 points in his first action since his 20-year-old brother's funeral.

Meanwhile, the Pistons had their usual balance on offense, with Prince's 20 points followed by Richard Hamilton (15), Rasheed Wallace (13) and Chauncey Billups (12).

The previous 12 times the Pistons had a chance to win a series, dating to the 2003 playoffs with four of their current starters, they lost only once - last year in Game 7 at San Antonio, where they fell just short of repeating as champions.

Detroit's current nucleus is 4-1 in Game 7s, with that lone setback last year motivating them to win a league- and franchise-best 64 victories during the regular season.

The Cavs are 2-1 in Game 7s, with the last decisive game coming in 1992 when James was a 7-year-old kid.

Detroit started and closed the series strong. In between, the teams had one of the tightest matchups in NBA history.

The Pistons won Game 1 by 27 and the next game by six points. After the Cavs won Game 3, they took the next two by two points each and the Pistons avoided a playoff flop with a two-point victory at Cleveland on Friday night.

Boston and Philadelphia, in the 1981 Eastern Conference finals, were the only teams to have more than three straight games decided by two or fewer points, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

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James shot 10-of-15 in the first half, while his teammates combined for just 17 points and missed 19 of 24 shots.

James wasn't outscored by the rest of the Cavs until Drew Gooden made two free throws in the middle of the third quarter to pull Cleveland to 46-45. Detroit responded by building its first comfortable cushion since the opening minutes, scoring 10 of the last 12 points of the third quarter to go ahead 58-48.

"They took it up to another level in the second half," Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "We got real stagnant on offense and they showed us a level we hadn't seen in these playoffs."

L.A. saves season, forces Game 7

2006-05-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Elton Brand and the Clippers became the second team from Los Angeles to take the Phoenix Suns to the limit in these playoffs.

Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers will take some momentum into Game 7.Brand had 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers beat the Suns 118-106 Thursday night to even the Western Conference semifinal series at three games apiece.

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"After six games in the playoffs and four in the regular season, we know each other pretty well," Brand said. "It comes down to who plays the best in Game 7."

The Suns seemed a step slower than usual at times, understandable since they've played every other day since April 26 - a total of 12 games in 22 days.

"I'll definitely give them credit for a terrific game," Suns star Steve Nash said. "It just didn't seem like we had a lot of pop tonight."

The Suns will get some time off now, since Game 7 isn't until Monday night in Phoenix, where they beat the Clippers in two of the three previous playoff meetings, including a 125-118 double-overtime triumph in Game 5.

The Clippers sounded like they can use the time off, too. Neither team will practice Friday.
"Sam Cassell's legs are tired, and he's 58, so I think the days off will help him," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said with a smile.

Cassell, actually 36, said he could have used some extra time off after extending himself in Tuesday night's double-overtime game.

"It took its toll on me," Cassell said after getting 15 points and eight assists but committing six of his team's 19 turnovers.

"I want the championship for us. My crew is ready," he said. "You have to take advantage of these opportunities because you never know when they're going to come back."

The teams have alternated victories in the series, with the Suns winning Games 1, 3 and 5 and the Clippers winning Games 2, 4 and 6.

The Lakers took a 3-1 lead in the first round before the Suns came back, becoming the eighth NBA team to overcome such a deficit.

The home team has a 76-17 advantage in NBA playoff Game 7s, including Phoenix's 121-90 victory over the Lakers on May 6. But the Clippers played the Suns tough in all three postseason games in Phoenix, winning one and coming close in the other two.

"We have no road fear at all," Dunleavy said. "We feel we can play with anybody."

The Suns are trying to reach the Western Conference finals for the second straight season and the eighth time overall. They lost to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in five games in the conference finals last spring.

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The Clippers have won two playoff series in their history, and are looking to make it past the second round for the first time.

Quinton Ross, starting in place of Maggette, added a career-high 18 points and Chris Kaman had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 61.5 percent and outrebounded the Suns 48-28.

"We just couldn't stop them," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I don't know if it's energy, but they played well. Give them credit, they played a good game. We got ourselves in trouble because we didn't make shots.

"You play all year to get home-court advantage, and we're at home in Phoenix."

Shawn Marion had 34 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Suns, who shot 44 percent. Leonardo Barbosa added 25 points, Nash had 17 points and 11 assists, Boris Diaw had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Raja Bell scored 13.

"We have to figure out something by Monday," Barbosa said. "If we don't, we're done."

Bell, who averaged 22.2 points and shot 55.6 percent in the first five games of this series, shot 2-of-9 in this game. And Tim Thomas, a big factor for the Suns throughout the playoffs, was held to three points.

Maggette scored 10 points, including the Clippers' only two 3-pointers of the game during a 17-7 run to begin the fourth quarter, giving the Clippers a 105-88 lead.

"I felt some of their guys were tired," Maggette said. "I just tried to attack."

The Clippers scored six straight points for a 16-point lead late in the third quarter - the largest of the game to that point. It was 86-70 when Barbosa made two 3-pointers and Marion another in a 70-second span to draw the Suns within seven. But that's as close as the Suns would get in the second half.

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Ross scored 16 points in the first half - one more than his previous career high in two seasons plus these playoffs.

Cavs stun Pistons, take 3-2 series lead

2006-05-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

All series long, the Detroit Pistons huffed and puffed. On Wednesday night, it was LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers who blew their house in.

A stunning role reversal on the Cavs' fairy tale ride?

Maybe not.

"It's just basketball," James said. "They're not the Big, Bad Wolf. And we're not the Three Little Pigs."

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James scored 32 points and assisted on Drew Gooden's game-winning shot to lead the Cavs to an 86-84 victory over Detroit - their third straight win en route to a 3-2 lead in the second-round series.

The Pistons, on the brink of elimination after two straight trips to the NBA Finals, have not been giving much respect to the Cavs, who are in the second round for the first time since 1993.
That should change now, but will it be too late for the big, bad Pistons?
Game 6 in the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Cleveland, and if the Pistons force a Game 7, they will be back on their home court Sunday.

"LeBron is playing unbelievably, and they're playing with a lot of confidence," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "But it doesn't mean the series is over, we just have to revert to what we did for much of the season."

Ben Wallace blew a chance to give the Pistons the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter when he missed two free throws with 40 seconds left. That left one of the NBA's worst free-throw shooters 0-for-7 for the game, which remained tied at 84.

James deferred to Gooden on the ensuing possession, and the power forward came through with a low-post basket to put the Cavs ahead by two with 27 seconds left.

"I took a picture of the basket," Gooden said. "That's what my freshman coach in high school used to tell me, take my time and make the shot."

After a timeout, Donyell Marshall blocked Tayshaun Prince's shot in the lane and James tipped a rebound - off Lindsey Hunter's missed jumper - to teammate Eric Snow, who tossed the ball down the court to kill time.

The Pistons had the ball back with 1.9 seconds left, but could not get a shot off to try to force overtime - or win the game they didn't seem to deserve.
"That was about as perfect a game of basketball as you can play against that team," Marshall said.

Cleveland beat Detroit 74-72 and 86-77 to even the series after being routed in Game 1 and losing Game 2 by six points after a big early deficit.

After losing Game 3 in Cleveland, Rasheed Wallace guaranteed Game 4 would be the last game played there because the Pistons would close out the series in Game 5.
Oops.

"Everybody wrote us off, but we started to get some confidence in the second half of Game 2 and we've just kept it going," Cavs reserve Damon Jones said.

Detroit hopes to draw from its postseason experience. Before the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals, they fell behind New Jersey 3-2 - with three straight losses - before winning on the road and at home to advance to the conference finals.
"I'm still not concerned because I know what we're capable of," Chauncey Billups said. "We've been there before.

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"We can't be looking for a Game 7 because if you're not careful, there won't be (a Game 7)."
James played like a star - again - in his first postseason appearance, and many of his teammates chipped in throughout Game 5.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 14 before fouling out, Marshall had 14 points and 13 rebounds off the bench and three other players added at least six points apiece.

Prince scored 21, Billups had 17 before fouling out, Richard Hamilton scored 15, Rasheed Wallace added 10 while battling foul trouble and reserve Antonio McDyess chipped in with 11 points.
The Cavs went ahead 63-53 midway through the third quarter on James' 3, leaving Prince holding his jaw. Then, the Pistons punched back, perhaps fearing elimination for the first time in the series.

A 13-3 run tied the game before Cleveland went back ahead 68-66.

The Cavs scored the first six points of the fourth, the last point coming on a free throw when Rasheed Wallace was called for a technical after his fifth foul.

McDyess - who was held to six total points in Games 3-4 in Cleveland - made three straight shots to tie the game at 77 with 5:10 left.

After the score was knotted again, Jones was fouled as he made a 3-point shot, but he missed the ensuing free throw, then had a shot blocked, leading to Billups' layup that made it 82-81.
McDyess sat on the bench for several minutes following the game - putting his hands behind his head, staring across the court in disbelief.

The Pistons began the playoffs as the favorites to win it all after falling just short of repeating as champions last year in Game 7 at San Antonio.

The first quarter Wednesday ended 20-all, the fifth tie of the game after 10 lead changes.
Cleveland went ahead on Marshall's 3-pointer with 8:57 left in the first half, and the Pistons didn't have the lead the rest of the game.

The Cavs led 50-45 at halftime.

Ilgauskas gave James plenty of support in the first half. He had nine points - surpassing his point totals from the previous two games - and seven rebounds along with four blocks, which tied a Cleveland playoff record for blocked shots in a half. Ilgauskas finished with six blocks, tying a franchise postseason record.

While the Cavs were warming up at halftime with a 50-45 lead, James leaned against the scorer's table checking out the box score.
He had to like what he saw.

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The 21-year-old phenom scored 22 first-half points on 9-of-17 shooting; Ilgauskas was off to a strong start; and the Cavs' reserves were outscoring Detroit's 17-2.

For the third straight game, the Cavs were without starting shooting guard Larry Hughes, who has been with his family since the death of his 20-year-old brother. The entire team attended Justin Hughes' funeral in St. Louis on Tuesday, the morning after winning Game 4, then flew to suburban Detroit without a practice between games. Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said there was still no timetable for Hughes to return.

Suns earn win in grueling Game 5

2006-05-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Phoenix Suns mixed exhaustion with elation Tuesday night, and are one victory away from a second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.

Shawn Marion had 36 points and a career playoff-high 20 rebounds in 54 grueling minutes, and Raja Bell sank a dramatic 3-pointer to help the Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-118 in two overtimes.

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The Suns, who blew a 19-point third-quarter lead before regrouping, took a 3-2 lead in the series and can advance with a victory in Game 6 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

"So many guys gutted it out for us," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We weren't brilliant. But a lot of the time in the playoffs it's not about being pretty and making all the right plays. It's about perseverence and a little sweat, and I think we did that."

Bell added 22 points, including a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.1 seconds left to tie it in the first overtime. He told his teammates during a timeout that he was going to make the shot.
"That's kind of out of character for me," Bell said, "but I called it."

Leandro Barbosa scored five of his 15 points in the second overtime for Phoenix.

Elton Brand had 33 points and 15 rebounds in 54 minutes, and Sam Cassell scored 32 - 27 in the second half and two overtimes - but the Clippers never led in the second extra session.
"That's the most disappointing game I've been a part of," Brand said. "We had it."
Marion's rebound stuff with 3:17 to play put Phoenix ahead 115-113. He landed awkwardly in traffic and limped off the floor with an apparent left ankle injury. But he was back less than a minute later.

Barbosa's first 3-pointer of the game gave Phoenix a 119-115 lead, then Brand's rebound and three-point play cut it to 119-118 with 1:22 left. After a timeout, Steve Nash fed Marion for a layup 1:05 from the end. Barbosa's two free throws made it 123-118 with 52.3 seconds to play.
Nash sealed it with two free throws 19.5 seconds from the end.

Nash had 17 points and 13 assists but was 0-for-5 on 3-pointers. He hasn't made a 3 since the series opener, going 0-for-13 since.

Playing his 11th playoff game in 20 days, Nash acknowledged that his body is hurting.
"I'm physically not really able to shoot a good percentage at this point in time," Nash said. "Even mid-range shots are a long way for me now the way I feel physically. I'm just trying to fight through it."

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Tim Thomas had 25 points for Phoenix, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, but fouled out with 1:12 to play in the first overtime.

Cassell sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 39.8 seconds to play in regulation, then sank a 16-footer to put Los Angeles ahead 109-106 with 39.8 seconds left in the first overtime.

Nash, who had two turnovers in the final 54 seconds of the first overtime, scored inside to cut it to 109-108, then Cassell's two free throws put Los Angeles up 111-108 with 3.6 seconds to go.
After two timeouts, the Suns got the ball to Bell in the corner, and his 3-pointer over Daniel Ewing - playing for the first time all night - tied it with 1.1 seconds remaining. Although the Clippers had a foul to give, Bell caught the ball and shot it. Ewing said he didn't want to foul Bell to risk a four-point play.

Coach Mike Dunleavy said he understood Ewing's thinking.

But Cassell, on the bench at the time, saw it otherwise.

"We had a young guy in the game. It's not his fault that Raja made his shot, but we've got to know better in that situation," Cassell said. "We've got a foul to give, we've got to put Raja Bell in the fifth row with the popcorn man, but we didn't do it."

Shaun Livingston threw the inbounds pass away and the Suns got the last chance of the first OT, but Marion's heave from just inside midcourt bounced off the rim.

The end of regulation wasn't pretty.

Cassell was called for an 8-second backcourt violation with 31 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. Nash missed a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds to go, then Cassell missed a 3 at the other end with 3 seconds left.

Thomas, apparently unaware there was that much time left, heaved the ball downcourt as coach Mike D'Antoni screamed at him for a timeout, and the game went to overtime.

Bell boosted the lead to 101-96 with a 3-pointer with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter, then the Suns didn't score again the rest of regulation.

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Nash missed a 20-footer and Brand sank two free throws to cut it to 101-98 with 2:22 remaining.

Brand missed two free throws with 1:46 to play, but again Phoenix couldn't take advantage. Marion muffed an inside shot, then couldn't control the rebound. Cassell's game-tying 3-point try misfired, but the Suns knocked the rebound out of bounds with 42.5 seconds remaining.
Cassell sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 39.8 seconds to go to tie it at 101. Then Marion had a breakaway but was fouled hard from behind by Brand and missed both free throws.
Chris Kaman, who sat out Game 4 with a strained right shoulder, had two injections of Toradal, a pain killer and anti-inflammatory, on Tuesday and was in the starting lineup. He had 11 points and 10 rebounds early, but had only two points and one board after that, sitting out most of the second half.

Suns earn win in grueling Game 5

2006-05-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Spurs on brink of elimination after Game 4 loss

2006-05-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

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Jason Terry is no longer the guy who replaced Steve Nash in Dallas.

He's the Mavericks' latest playoff star and half of a suddenly unstoppable backcourt duo.
Terry made a crucial basket with 23 seconds left in regulation, opened overtime with a go-ahead layup, then protected the lead with a pair of rainbow jumpers. That pushed the Mavericks past the San Antonio Spurs 123-118 Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their second-round series.

"Our will and our desire to never give up came through," Terry said.

Dallas has won three straight since Devin Harris joined Terry in a two-point-guard lineup. The Mavs are one win from knocking out the reigning champs and making the conference finals for the second time in four years.

It could happen as soon as Game 5 Wednesday night in San Antonio.

"It's going to take a tremendous effort," Terry said. "We like our chances."

Should Dallas win again, fans might be disappointed to see the series end. Expectations have been building since it became obvious in December this would be a second-round matchup, and four games later it's close to being a classic. This was the third one decided at the end, the first that required overtime.

The Spurs came out with a surprising lineup featuring Tim Duncan and four players 6-foot-7 or shorter. Tony Parker made it work by repeatedly blowing past Harris, putting San Antonio up by nine early. He finished with 33 points, his most in a playoff game.

Duncan was at his best again with 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. And, again, it wasn't enough.

Dirk Nowitzki shook off a twisted ankle to score 28 points, including a pair of free throws that tied it with 8.5 seconds left in regulation.

Jerry Stackhouse added 26 and Harris had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Erick Dampier had eight points, nine rebounds and a strong defensive stand that forced Duncan to come up short on a potential winning shot at the end of regulation.

"It's a heavyweight fight, a slugfest and, boy, each team was throwing punches," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "Fortunately, we had a little more in the tank."

San Antonio played well enough to win the last two games. A crucial mistake at the end of Game 3 hurt and this time coach Gregg Popovich lamented getting outrebounded 10-2 in overtime, starting with allowing Dallas a pair of offensive rebounds on the first possession. The Spurs never led in the extra period.

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"It's not a situation where we're getting blown out and getting our hats handed to us," forward Bruce Bowen said. "It's the small things. If we do the small things we're going to be successful. ... We're right there. I feel like we're on the cusp of doing great things."

Only eight teams have recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA series, including Phoenix this season. The Spurs' history makes them a long shot to become No. 9.

Since Duncan joined the club in 1997, San Antonio is 0-5 when trailing this deep into a playoff series. They've also lost every time they've faced an elimination game to keep a series going.

The only time they won when facing elimination was Game 7 of last year's finals.

"We have to keep pushing," Robert Horry said. "The good thing is we're going home."
But can they find a way to handle Harris & Terry?

Terry stopped himself last season, getting burned by Nash on the deciding play of Dallas' final game. Nowitzki yelled at him on the court, although they've become tight off it.

He showed why this time, repeatedly hitting shots the Mavericks absolutely had to have.

"He's one of the best clutch players I've ever played with," Nowitzki said. "He doesn't care what time it is on the clock, he makes those shots."

Harris set up the late go-ahead jumper in regulation by grabbing a loose rebound and throwing a cross-court pass. He got one of the early rebounds to set up Terry's first OT layup, then came barreling down court for a finger roll that stretched the lead.

Johnson said he was proud of Harris for not getting discouraged by Parker's strong start.
"He showed me something tonight," Johnson said.

San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, coming off the bench for a second straight game, made 8 of 11 field goals and all six of his free throws for 26 points. He fouled out with 2:28 left.

Former Mavs star Michael Finley almost was the hero in his first playoff start for San Antonio.
He scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 15.4 seconds left that put the Spurs ahead 111-109.

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"We're still breathing," Finley said. "We have the opportunity to go back to San Antonio. I hope we're fortunate enough to make the trip back here."

Clippers, Suns head to Phoenix all even

2006-05-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

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Elton Brand dominated the inside again. And Sam Cassell bounced back from a dreadful performance with a beauty.

Brand had 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Cassell added 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 114-107 Sunday night to even the Western Conference semifinals 2-2.

Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Phoenix star Steve Nash was held to eight points and 11 assists. He shot 3-of-11, and didn't make a field goal after halftime.

The Suns scored 11 straight points to move within one before Brand made an 18-foot jumper with 56 seconds remaining and Cassell hit a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to clinch the victory.
Brand scored 67 points in the first two games, but was held to 20 in Game 3, when the Suns won 94-91 for a 2-1 series lead.

The 36-year-old Cassell, who entered the postseason with more playoff experience than the rest of his teammates combined, shot 2-of-10 for six points in Game 3 and played only 35 seconds in the fourth quarter.

He began the final period of this game on the bench, but returned with 7:19 to play and made a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch.

The Clippers won without starting center Chris Kaman, sidelined because of a sore right shoulder. Kaman, injured in Game 3, suited up and was available, according to a team spokesman, but never left the bench.

Corey Maggette had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Vladimir Radmanovic scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Shaun Livingston added 11 points for the Clippers.

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Raja Bell led the Suns with a career playoff-high 33 points - two more than his regular-season career best. Boris Diaw added 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists; Shawn Marion had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Leonardo Barbosa added 15 points.

It was 100-93 when Radmanovic and Cassell made back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Clippers a 13-point lead with 5:54 left - largest of the game for either team.

That's when the Suns began their rally, which Barbosa finished by making a 3-pointer with 2:36 left and a layup with 1:12 to go.

At that stage, the Clippers' big two made the two biggest plays of the game.
Even without the 7-foot Kaman, the Clippers dominated the backboards, outrebounding the Suns 55-37. Los Angeles outrebounded Phoenix 57-26 in winning Game 2, but just 47-46 in losing Game 3.

The Clippers shot 48.8 percent to the Suns' 45.5 percent. Phoenix committed only five turnovers to nine for Los Angeles.

Marion picked up two fouls in the opening 1:11 of the second half to give him four. Thomas picked up his fourth less than 2 minutes later, and joined Marion on the bench.

But the Suns hung tough, and thanks to 15 points by Bell in the third quarter, they trailed by only eight entering the final period, when Marion and Thomas returned.

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Radmanovic started in Kaman's place, and Maggette replaced Quinton Ross, giving the Clippers additional scoring punch.

The Maggette-for-Ross move paid big dividends in the first half, when Maggette had 16 points and eight rebounds to spark the Clippers to a 61-51 lead.

The Suns led 26-21 before Maggette and Mobley scored four points each during a 12-0 run that put the Clippers ahead by seven. They were on top the rest of the way.

Clippers rout Suns, pull even in series

2006-05-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

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The Los Angeles Clippers turned playground bully in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Elton Brand & Co. pushed the smaller Phoenix Suns around all night Wednesday, dominating the boards 57-26 in a 122-97 rout that evened the best-of-seven series.

Game 3 is in Los Angeles on Friday night.

"We're little and you have to fight," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said, "and if you don't have the fight in you, big guys are going to punish you - and they did."

Brand, coming off a 40-point performance in Game 1, had 27 points and 10 rebounds as all five Clippers starters scored in double figures.

Cuttino Mobley, held to three points on 1-for-6 shooting in Game 1, scored 23 points, as did Sam Cassell, the Clippers' 36-year-old point guard. Chris Kaman added 14 points and 16 rebounds and Quentin Ross scored 11 points.

"We feel good about going home," Brand said. "They didn't do what they had to do on their court, now we shift it to our home court advantage."

It was the second most one-sided home playoff loss in Suns' history, eclipsed only by their 129-90 first-round rout by Utah in 1991.

Phoenix also lost at home in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, then had to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. The Suns had won four straight playoff games going into Wednesday night.

Raja Bell, who opened the game 0-for-5, led the Suns with 20 points, while Leandro Barbosa added 19 and Tim Thomas 15. Steve Nash had 14 points and eight assists, then sat out the final 5:44.

But the story of this game was rebounding. The Clippers dominated the offensive boards 19-5, leading to a 31-6 advantage in second-chance points.

"We've got a size advantage down there," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "As long as we keep our bigs down there, that's what's supposed to happen."

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Los Angeles led by as many as 20 points in the first half and 21 in the third quarter.

"For whatever reason, we didn't play with a lot of energy tonight," Nash said. "I thought we were elsewhere much of the game. We didn't have a great focus. We need that. We're smaller than every team we play. We need to scrap and we need to focus."

Cassell scored eight points as the Clippers bolted to a 20-6 lead. Cassell's three-point play with 33 seconds left put Los Angeles ahead 38-22 after one quarter, and the Clippers scored the first four points of the second to take a 42-22 lead on Corey Maggette's inside basket with 11:17 left in the half.

Barbosa, who had 10 points in the second quarter, scored seven in a 9-0 Suns spurt that cut it to 42-31 on his three-point play 9:12 before halftime. The Brazilian's 3-pointer sliced the lead to 50-41 with 5:16 left in the second. The Suns never got within single digits again.

Shaun Livingston's tip-in with 1:47 left in the half put Los Angeles up 63-46. Shawn Marion scored on a drive and was fouled, but missed the free throw. Then Bell's 3-pointer cut it to 63-51 with 1:10 to play. Marion missed a wide-open layup that would have sliced the lead to 10, then Livingston scored inside just before the halftime buzzer and the Clippers led 65-51.

Phoenix never cut into that 14-point lead in the second half.

"There was a little fatigue out there," said Marion, who had 13 points and six rebounds. "But even though we were fatigued, we didn't give ourselves a chance to win. We just got killed on the boards."

Ross' three-point play on an offensive rebound gave Los Angeles an 86-65 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

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D'Antoni, whose teams are 1-4 in Game 2s the past two seasons, thought it was a natural letdown.

"I think it's understandable for our guys, and they will regroup and we'll lay it on the line next game," he said. "It is size obviously but to negate that and to not get killed, you have to have that second effort, which we had on Monday and didn't have tonight."

Bonds comes up just short in Giants' win

2006-05-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

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Barry Bonds was ready to make history. Juan Pierre made him wait a little longer.

Pierre's leaping catch against the wall in center robbed Bonds of home run No. 714, and the San Francisco slugger remained one shy of tying Babe Ruth for second place after the Giants' 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

"I know I ruined about 40,000 people's nights tonight," Pierre said.

Bonds, who had the night off for Monday's makeup game with Houston, went 1-for-4 with a single two nights after hitting 713 with a 450-foot shot in Philadelphia. He drew a five-pitch walk in the first, flied out to center leading off the fourth, then watched Pierre's catch in the fifth before singling in the seventh.

He left the ballpark without talking to reporters and was hugged from behind by 7-year-old daughter Aisha outside the clubhouse as he made his way out. His entourage included Sacramento Kings' owner Gavin Maloof the same day his NBA team fired coach Rick Adelman.

Pierre went against the wall to snag Bonds' long line drive seemingly destined for the other side of the center-field fence.

"I thought it was gone," said Moises Alou, Bonds' injured teammate who watched that at-bat on a clubhouse TV. "I don't know if the ball would have been over, but when he hit it I thought it was gone."

Bonds flied out to right in the eighth.

Two of his teammates did hit homers.

Lance Niekro had a two-run shot and singled in a run and Randy Winn added a solo drive for San Francisco to help Jason Schmidt (3-2) win his sixth straight decision against the Cubs and earn his third victory in a row. Schmidt has pitched back-to-back complete games and is the first Giants pitcher to do it since he got three straight from June 19-30, 2003.

Schmidt allowed five hits, struck out six and walked none.

"That was nice for a change," Schmidt said. "I think one of the great things playing here, any time Barry is going for a certain milestone, it creates a playoff atmosphere, a little extra. The team feeds off that."

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In the fifth, Bonds smoked a 92 mph fastball - the fastest pitch he saw all night from rookie Rich Hill - to straightaway center and Pierre leaped to catch the ball on the top of the 8-foot wall.

"He's (Hill) probably seen Bonds more than Bonds has seen him," said Cubs skipper Dusty Baker, Bonds' manager for his first 10 seasons in San Francisco. "Juan brought the ball back that one time but he went after him and pitched him good. None of the guys backed away from him."

Bonds thought he had it and took off, then made a dismissive wave toward center as he rounded first before heading back to the dugout. The fans booed Pierre when he came to the plate the next half-inning.

Bonds nodded to his fans from the on-deck circle and stepped into the batter's box in the first inning to chants of "Barry! Barry!" He received a warm standing ovation and cameras clicked with each pitch - then the boos rang out when Hill (0-2) walked him.

Schmidt retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced - allowing only a solo homer to Michael Barrett in the second before getting 15 straight outs until Todd Walker's seventh-inning single.

The viewing portwalk beneath the right-field arcade where fans can get a glimpse of the game without buying a ticket was completely full from first pitch on. A few Bonds No. 25 jerseys could be spotted on the downtown streets during the work day.

Thirty kayaks and boats packed McCovey Cove hoping for a souvenir splash home run - Bonds has hit 31 of his homers into the water. A surfer standing on his board and paddling even joined the action.

Mike Matheny hit a pair of RBI singles and Steve Finley doubled, tripled and scored twice for the Giants, who won their second in a row following a four-game skid and sent the Cubs to their season-worst eighth straight loss.

Hill avoided becoming the 420th different pitcher to surrender a home run to Bonds.

The 41-year-old Bonds was lighthearted and laughing with reporters swarmed around his locker only hours before resuming his pursuit of Ruth.

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Bonds' godfather, Willie Mays, sat in the stands near the dugout between team owner Peter Magowan and Giants executive vice president Larry Baer. Another Hall of Famer named Willie - Willie McCovey - also attended the game. Adding Ron Santo and Baker, all those men's home runs coupled with Bonds equaled 2,478 homers between them in the ballpark.

The Cubs are winless so far in their nine-game West Coast trip after being swept in two games at Arizona and four at San Diego.

Nash leads Suns to Game 1 win

2006-05-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

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The Los Angeles Clippers wanted to waltz. Phoenix came to boogie.

In the end, the Suns had their way in a 130-123 victory, outscoring the Clippers 74-62 in the second half in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night.

"Tempo wasn't exactly what we needed," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said.

Steve Nash, presented with the MVP trophy by commissioner David Stern before the game, had 31 points and 12 assists, and the Suns pulled away over a five-minute stretch of the fourth quarter.

Shawn Marion had 20 points and 15 rebounds, including 10-of-10 free throws for the Suns, who were 24-of-25 at the line. Raja Bell added 22 points, Boris Diaw 19 and Leandro Barbosa 17 for a Phoenix team playing 48 hours after eliminating that other team from Los Angeles, the Lakers, in seven games.

"We weren't tired," Bell said. "We felt good."

Elton Brand scored 40 on 18-of-22 shooting, but scored only two in the final 8:33 for the Clippers, who hadn't played in a week since beating Denver in five games for their first playoff series triumph in 30 years.

"It must be a difficult loss for Elton," Nash said. "He was phenomenal. I thought he was trying to get them to change the MVP at halftime."

Sam Cassell added 28 points and Corey Maggette 20.

Dunleavy said before the game that the score needed to be in the 90s for his team to win. Both teams had passed that by the end of the third quarter.

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Los Angeles shot 59 percent and still couldn't keep up with the Suns, who shot 55 percent. Phoenix has averaged 122 points in winning its last four playoff games after falling behind the Lakers 3-1.

"To get the tempo in our favor, we really need to limit our quick shots," Brand said. "That is their game plan. It can't be fool's gold. We need to take it down and run our plays."

Brand's dunk with 8:33 to go tied the game for the last time at 101. Diaw scored the next four on a driving layup and a running, 10-foot bank shot to trigger an 11-2 run that gave Phoenix a 112-103 lead on Nash's 17-footer with 5:35 remaining.

Dunleavy gave Brand a minute on the bench early in the outburst, and neither the big forward nor his teammates could recover.

"I was hoping he would be out a little longer," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Once in a while he has to catch his breath, I would hope, but he was terrific."

The surge reached 19-6 on Nash's 3-pointer that made it 120-107 with 2:56 left.

Cassell kept the Clippers in it, and his layup cut the lead to 122-115 with 1:45 to go. But Nash converted a three-point play with a minute left, and the game was over.

The Clippers outscored the Suns 16-2 over the final four minutes of the first half to go up 61-56 at the break. Phoenix didn't have a field goal in the last 4:10 as its usually high-powered offense turned stagnant.

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Brand scored 23 in the first half on 10-for-13 shooting.

The Suns scored nine in a row to go up 68-65 on Marion's stuff with 8:49 left in the third. Dunleavy called a timeout, and Cassell scored nine in a 13-2 run that put Los Angeles back on top, 78-70, with 6:18 to go in the quarter.

The Suns rallied and Bell's 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to go in the third put Phoenix ahead 93-91 entering the fourth quarter.

Despite 50 from Kobe, Suns force Game 7

2006-05-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

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Better put that Battle of L.A. on hold.

Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion each scored six points in overtime, Tim Thomas made two huge 3-pointers, and the Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 126-118 Thursday night to force a Game 7 in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Kobe Bryant scored all but one of the Lakers' 13 points in overtime, and finished with a career-playoff high 50.

Game 7 will be played Saturday night in Phoenix, where the second-seeded Suns beat the Lakers 114-97 to send the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6. The home team has a 75-17 advantage in NBA playoff Game 7s.

The winner of the series will face the Clippers - co-tenants of Staples Center with the Lakers. Two teams from Los Angeles have never met in postseason play in the NBA, NFL or major league baseball.

Steve Nash led the Suns with 32 points and 13 assists. Leonardo Barbosa, starting for the suspended Raja Bell, scored 22 points for Phoenix. Thomas had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Marion had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Diaw added 19 points and seven assists.

Bell was suspended for one game after clotheslining Bryant in Game 5. Bell was the Suns' best defender against Bryant, a job Barbosa had Thursday.

"Leandro was great," Nash said. "He stepped up offensively and battled Kobe. Kobe made a lot of shots but they weren't easy. We did this for Raja."

The Lakers had won eight straight games at Staples Center including Games 3 and 4 of this series.

Thomas forced the overtime by making a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Bryant, the hero in Game 4, tried for another game-winner at the buzzer, but Marion got a piece of the ball and it fell short of the basket as time ran out.

Two baskets by Diaw and another by Marion gave the Suns a 113-109 lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in overtime, and Thomas' 3-pointer with 1:41 put Phoenix ahead by seven. The Lakers weren't closer than five points after that.

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Lamar Odom added 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers. Kwame Brown had 17 points and nine rebounds and Devean George game off the bench to score 14 points.

Only four No. 7 seeds have won playoff series in 42 opportunities counting this series since the current playoff format was adopted in 1985.

The Suns shot 56.8 percent to the Lakers' 55.3 percent. Los Angeles won the rebounding battle 39-31, but committed 20 turnovers to 14 for Phoenix.

Nash made two free throws with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter to give the Suns a two-point lead, but Bryant scored the next five points. The Suns missed a couple shots but got the rebounds, and Marion got the ball to Thomas for the game-tying shot from the top of the key.

The Suns went on a 14-6 run early in the third quarter for a 74-65 lead. Bryant kept the Lakers in the game, scoring their first 11 points of the period.

George made two 3-pointers during a 13-4 run that put the Lakers ahead before the Suns scored the final five points of the third quarter for an 88-85 lead.

After being outscored 21-5 to finish the first quarter, Phoenix went on a 19-7 run to begin the second period, putting them ahead by five. The Suns led 60-57 at halftime.

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After a miss by Marion, the Suns made nine straight shots including four from 3-point range for a 22-12 lead in the opening five minutes.

It was 25-16 when Phoenix cooled off and the Lakers got hot. Bryant banked in a shot from about 28 feet away as the first quarter ended, putting the Lakers ahead 37-30.

Ortiz's home run helps spoil Damon's return

2006-05-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

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Johnny Damon stepped to the plate to lead off the game and was booed for 30 seconds by the crowd at Fenway Park.

Somewhere in there, though, were just enough cheers to make him raise his new Yankees helmet.

"I planned on doing it if I heard enough cheering, and I did," Damon said.

But the Red Sox fans saved their loudest cheers for David Ortiz, who hit a three-run homer into a strong wind, giving the Red Sox a 7-3 win over the New York Yankees on Monday night and spoiling Damon's return to Boston.

Damon was booed in each of his other three at-bats and went 0-for-4.

"You know they're booing a uniform now," he said. "They don't boo bad players. They boo good players."

Damon could only stand and watch from a few feet away as Ortiz's 11th homer of the season sailed into Boston's bullpen in right-center field in the eighth.

Mark Loretta, in a 1-for-17 slump, had broken a 3-3 tie with an RBI single earlier in the inning in his first game as part of baseball's biggest rivalry. The first series of the season between the teams wraps up Tuesday night.

"What an atmosphere," said Loretta, traded from San Diego in the offseason. "Every game at Fenway Park has been electric, but tonight was extra electric and (there was) a great buzz out there."

That usually happens when the teams face each other. Throw in Damon's return after four years as a fan favorite - before he left as a free agent - and the crowd was excited even before the first pitch.

"It was kind of sad," Boston's Kevin Youkilis said of the reaction to Damon. "He acknowledged the crowd (with his helmet) and they didn't want any part of it."

Fans even taunted Damon, chanting "Johnny! Johnny!" after Ortiz's homer.

Damon couldn't do much with the previous batter either. He could only trot in to pick up Loretta's single through the middle off Tanyon Sturtze.

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Mike Timlin (3-0) got the win with help from Jonathan Papelbon, who retired the side in order in the ninth with two strikeouts and is unscored upon in 15 1-3 innings this season. Aaron Small (0-1) took the loss after going 10-0 for the Yankees last season.

It was a bad night for another former Red Sox player. Mike Myers, Boston's lefty specialist last year, entered the game after the single by Loretta and gave up Ortiz's drive on a full count.

"You had to hit it good with the wind blowing like 100 miles an hour," Ortiz said.

Manager Joe Torre marveled at Ortiz's power.

"If anybody is going to do it, Big Papi is going to find his way through the wind," Torre said. "I just thought the count was probably the difference. He had to throw a strike."

Another returning player who had a more pleasant night was Boston catcher Doug Mirabelli, reacquired earlier Monday from San Diego where he had been traded for Loretta last December. Boston obtained him to resume his role as knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's personal catcher after Josh Bard, who went to the Padres, had 10 passed balls in Wakefield's four previous starts.

Mirabelli arrived at Fenway 13 minutes before the game and went 0-for-4 but didn't have a passed ball and threw out a runner trying to steal.

"You can't even imagine how much work went into just getting here," he said. "I don't think I have been that nervous in a ballgame ever in my career."

Before the game, Damon, who spent the past four seasons with Boston, said, "I'm just really excited about taking the field" and he wasn't nervous.

When he was retired in the first on an easy popup to right fielder Trot Nixon, the crowd roared when he reached second and turned back toward the visitors' dugout. Damon was retired easily in his next three at-bats on a groundout to Wakefield, a popup to third and a groundout to second.

When he took the field in the bottom of the first, fans threw pieces of green paper on the warning track behind him. Most of it was fake money but some real bills were mixed in. Damon signed a four-year contract with New York worth $52 million, $12 million more than Boston offered over the same span.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first when Youkilis led off with a walk, took second on a groundout and scored on a single by Ortiz.

Wakefield allowed just a hit and a walk through three innings before falling behind 3-1 in the fourth. The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs on a single by Derek Jeter and walks to Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez.

Hideki Matsui's groundout to Youkilis drove in one run and Robinson Cano singled in two.

Boston tied it in the fourth when Alex Cora and Youkilis singled before Loretta bunted into a forceout at third. Ortiz loaded the bases with a single before Manny Ramirez singled in one run and Nixon tied it with an RBI groundout to first.

In the eighth, Cora walked and Youkilis was hit by a pitch before Loretta's single to Damon broke the tie.

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Maddux improves to 5-0 for Cubs

2006-04-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

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At age 40, a fitter and trimmer Greg Maddux pitched his way into new territory.

Twice facing bases-loaded jams, Maddux escaped the big inning Friday to win his fifth straight start as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2. He's 5-0 for the first time in a long and distinguished career that will some day end in Cooperstown.

"It's hard for him to have firsts anymore," Chicago manager Dusty Baker said.

"Without his 5-0, boy we wouldn't be close to where we are. You feel very confident that day he's out there. ... He's not gloating or reveling over what he's done. He's just continued to do what he's doing."

Actually, Maddux did more in the offseason with a conditioning program that has put him in better shape. With Carlos Zambrano winless this season and Kerry Wood and Mark Prior on the disabled list again, Maddux has carried the Cubs the first three weeks.

Maddux, of course, says it's the other way around, typically shrugging off praise.

"Good teammates you know," he said. "The year hasn't even gotten going yet. It's nice to start good. The team has played very well on the day I pitched."

Maddux has five of the Cubs' 13 wins and a 1.35 ERA. He earned his 323rd victory, one win shy of tying Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton for 13th place all-time.

He gave up eight hits and two runs in six innings and was backed by a homer and a strong defensive play from shortstop Ronny Cedeno.

"Great mechanics and he doesn't overthrow," said Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins, who had a two-run single off Maddux for his team's only runs.

"He works the outer half of the plate and knows when to mix one inside. He's pitching as good as he ever has. He's going to be a Hall of Famer."

Maddux worked out of trouble in the opening inning after the Brewers loaded the bases on a walk and singles by Jenkins and Carlos Lee. Maddux struck out Prince Fielder on three pitches and retired Corey Koskie on a fly ball.

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He was sailing until the fifth and had one out before opposing pitcher Dave Bush, 2-for-13 in his career, singled.

Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy followed with singles to load the bases before Jenkins delivered a two-run single to cut Chicago's lead to 3-2. Cedeno then went to the hole and started a tough 6-4-3 double play on Lee to end the rally.

Cedeno hit his first homer, a two-run drive in the fifth, after Juan Pierre's bunt single. That gave Maddux a three-run cushion again.

"I felt like I was on the verge of getting knocked out of the game," Maddux said. "And he (Cedeno) makes a good play to start the double play and comes up and hits the home run right after it. Ronny did great.

"You just try to throw the ball where you need to throw it and hope you get the result you are looking for. That wasn't an easy double play ball. It was on the ground, but Ronny had to go a long way for it. Luckily the guy running wasn't overly fast."

Jacque Jones homered in the eighth off Justin Lehr to put the Cubs up 6-2.

Maddux is now 13-3 against the Brewers, representing his best winning percentage against any NL team. Second best? The Cubs. He was 11-3 against Chicago while pitching for the Braves.

"The outcome of the game is something that, as a starting pitcher, is very hard to control," Maddux said, reiterating one of his main philosophies. "Just worry about making pitches. And leave it at that."

Aramis Ramirez, Matt Murton and Jones hit consecutive doubles off Bush (2-2) to start the second and give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

Bush, who pitched a four-hit shutout against the Reds in his previous outing, gave up a leadoff double to Pierre in the third. Cedeno got a bunt single and Todd Walker followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

Bush also lasted six innings, giving up 10 hits and five runs.

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Maddux is the first Cubs pitcher to go 5-0 in his first five starts since Steve Stone in 1975. ... Murton now has seven RBIs in the last four games. His 16 RBIs are two more than he had all last season in 51 games. ... The Brewers had a three-game winning streak snapped after having swept the Braves at Miller Park. ... Cubs C Michael Barrett, who hasn't played since jamming the middle finger of his left hand Tuesday night, took batting practice Friday and said he hoped to be back in the starting lineup Saturday. ... Both starting pitchers wore No. 31. ... Maddux was also 4-0 with the Braves in 2000 and 1999, but he needed six and five starts respectively to get there. ... Julia Ruth Stevens and Tom Stevens, the daughter and grandson of Babe Ruth, led the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the seventh inning.

Mavs' Johnson named coach of the year

2006-04-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

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During Avery Johnson's playing days, many executives and players thought the point guard would make a great NBA coach. Still, he had to be convinced it was time to make that transition.

Now, after his first full season leading the Dallas Mavericks, Johnson was honored Tuesday as the NBA's coach of the year.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban remembers talking to Johnson nearly two years ago about retiring as a player and becoming the top assistant - and eventual successor - to Don Nelson.

Cuban told Johnson, "I know you can still play, but we want to start you on the path to being a Hall of Fame coach." Johnson's response then: "I don't know, I don't know."

There's no more doubt. Johnson is a coaching natural.

Johnson led the Mavericks to 60 victories this season, matching the team record. That mark was first set three years ago, when Johnson was still playing for Dallas.

"I think I'm gifted to do what I'm doing, that this is what I'm here for," Johnson said. "I felt like a coach when I was a player. ... In a lot of ways, I know some things are still new to me. But in other ways, I just feel like I've been doing this a lot of time, and a lot of it just comes naturally."

Johnson retired as a player and became a Mavericks assistant coach before the 2004-05 season. After replacing Nelson as head coach on March 19, 2005, he reached 50 wins faster than any other coach (62 games) and recorded the best start by a first-time coach in league history by winning 66 of his first 82 games - the equivalent of a full season. He is 76-24 overall and coached the Western Conference All-Star team this season.

"Avery's making me look really smart," Cuban said.

Johnson got 63 first-place votes from the panel of 124 sports writers and broadcasters. He had 419 points, 172 more than Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni, last year's winner. D'Antoni had 27 first-place votes.

"To watch his progress over this short year and a half has been just amazing," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, even more of a mentor to Johnson than Nelson. "He's put in the work, he has the desire and he also has the persistence and mental toughness to drive a team his way, to have them do what he thinks is necessary. ... He's going to be one of the best for a very long time."

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Dallas plays Game 2 of its first-round Western Conference series against Memphis on Wednesday night. The Mavericks won the first game 103-93.

Maybe more impressive than his record is how Johnson has transformed the Mavericks into a defensive squad.

While the 2002-03 team was known only for its scoring, this year's squad ranked in the league's top 10 in scoring and points allowed. The Mavericks ranked higher in the defensive category with a franchise-low 93.1 points per game allowed.

"Avery's done a great job with us, preparing us every single night, teaching all the little things over the whole season and really turned the franchise around into a defensive ballclub first," Dirk Nowitzki said Tuesday. "He's done a great job, so he deserves a lot of credit."

Nowitzki, an NBA MVP candidate this season, and Adrian Griffin are the only current Mavericks who were teammates of Johnson in 2002-03.

"He's a leader, he knows how to get the best out of us. He has a lot of energy," Griffin said. "When I played with him, he was still vocal, he was still a leader. ... Some people just have a knack and a gift for that sort of thing, and I think he has it."

After the Mavericks won 60 games in 2003, they didn't put Johnson on their playoff roster. Instead, he played the role of a player-coach during practices that postseason and sat with the coaching staff on the bench during games. Coach Don Nelson already had let Johnson run some practices and considered the "Little General" a possible successor.

The Mavericks traded Johnson to Golden State before the 2003-04 season, but he was back in Dallas a year later - technically as a backup guard but realistically as a coach.

As a player, Johnson was undrafted and repeatedly released. He finally became the starting point guard on an NBA champion in San Antonio (1992-2001), and hit the title-clinching shot in 1999. He is still the Spurs' career leader in assists.

Johnson played in 1,054 games over 16 NBA seasons, averaging 8.4 points and 5.5 assists a game.

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Arenas' 30 help Wiz even up series with Cavs

2006-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

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The Washington Wizards got mad, then got even.

Angry at allowing LeBron James to dominate them with a triple-double in Game 1, the Wizards roughed up Cleveland's superstar and downed the Cavaliers 89-84 Tuesday night to tie their Eastern Conference series at a game apiece.

Gilbert Arenas scored 30 points, Antawn Jamison added 21 and Caron Butler was the primary defender on James, who wasn't the same after he got wrapped up by massive Wizards center Brendan Haywood in the first quarter.

"Actually, that wasn't the plan going in," Arenas said of Haywood's hack. "Brendan just decided he was going to give a hard foul to let him know he was there. For some reason, that just threw him off a little bit."

James got 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his playoff debut, but he played like a mere mortal in his second postseason game as a pro.

He finished with 26 points on 7-of-25 shooting, and matched his career high with 10 turnovers. James also made some mental errors, including a costly one late when he made an out-of-bounds save under his own basket that was picked off by Arenas for an easy layup.

The Wizards, who returned to Washington after Game 1 to regroup, came up with all the right adjustments and snatched away Cleveland's home-court advantage.

"We destroyed ourselves in Game 1," Arenas said. "So we decided to come out and play better basketball."

The Wizards stopped James and also snapped Cleveland's 12-game winning streak at home. Instead of double-teaming the 6-foot-8 James, who dissected them with passes to open teammates in Game 1, Washington coach Eddie Jordan let Butler and Jared Jeffries guard him with no assistance.

"They had a great scheme by playing me 1-on-1," said James, whose 10 turnovers were a team playoff record. "I missed a lot of shots, layups that I usually make. They did a great job. I didn't come to play."

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The series shifts to the Verizon Center for Game 3 in the best-of-seven series on Friday night.

Drew Gooden scored 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting and added 16 rebounds, and Larry Hughes had 16 points for the Cavaliers, who trailed 85-77 with 1:34 left following Arenas' gift layup and free throw.

A free throw by James and two by Gooden got the Cavs within 85-80, and Cleveland was still alive when Arenas missed an ill-advised 3-pointer.

Hughes' jumper made it 87-82, and James made two more free throws with 20 seconds left to pull Cleveland within three. Billy Thomas then missed a pair of free throws for Washington, and the Cavs looked as if they would get closer.

James rushed the ball up the floor, but instead of calling a timeout or trying a game-tying 3-pointer, he passed inside to a wide-open Anderson Varejao.

But as Cleveland's backup center was gathering himself for a shot, Arenas slapped the ball away. Varejao fouled Jamison, who made two free throws to ice it as the Wizards bounced back to knot what is expected to be a long series.

Arenas wasn't surprised James would pass up the shot.

"That's what he does," Arenas said. "He's a playmaker. He makes great decisions out there."

Getting nasty with James wasn't on the Wizards' drawing board, but it worked and they might as well stick with it.

"As long as it's not flagrant," Jordan said. "We're not the toughest team in the NBA, but tonight we brought it out."

Unable to slow James much in the opener, Washington decided to bang him around in the first half. The Wizards held him to just two points in the second quarter and Cleveland's star went 17:40 between field goals.

At one point, Cavs coach Mike Brown sat his superstar for 2:15 of the second quarter. During a timeout, Zydrunas Ilgauskas offered some advice to James, who was just 2-for-9 with zero assists and four turnovers.

"I thought he still played great - 26 (points) and nine (rebounds). That's a bad night for him?" Butler said. "That's unbelievable."

Down by 11 points early, the Wizards started to play rough with James. First, Jeffries wrapped him up on a drive and then Haywood committed a hard foul to stop another attack by James, who initially took exception to the second horse collar.

"Hard fouls are going to happen," James said. "But that's just playoff basketball."

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Jones caps Cubs' rally with three-run HR

2006-04-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

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One swing and Jacque Jones stopped the booing. At least for a couple of minutes.

Jones, the newest target for disgruntled Cubs fans at Wrigley Field, hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run eighth-inning Monday night as Chicago rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Does he expect the booing and catcalls to stop?

"No, I don't think so," he said. "Right now it's a little tough. I'm not getting very many hits. I'm hearing all kinds of stuff in the outfield."

Jones, who signed a $16 million, three-year deal as a free agent in the offseason, entered the game batting just .200 and when he made outs in his first two-bats Monday, he heard about it. And playing right field puts him close to the fans in the bleachers.

"I tried not to pay attention when things are bad," he said. "It's so loud and so angry right now. You know what I mean? It's almost funny."

Trailing 3-0 after getting just one hit off lefty Jason Vargas in the first 6 1-3 innings, the Cubs broke through in the eighth against relievers Matt Herges and Josh Johnson (1-2).

Ex-Marlin Juan Pierre opened the inning with a double for Chicago's second hit and Ronny Cedeno worked Herges for a walk. Johnson relieved and loaded the bases by walking Todd Walker.

Aramis Ramirez then hit a chopper to third, but Marlins catcher Matt Treanor couldn't hold onto Miguel Cabrera's low throw as Pierre scored on the fielder's choice to make it 3-1.

"I was going to home plate to make the one out. I thought it was the right choice, but it was a bad throw," Cabrera said.

It turned out to be a huge play, especially after Florida played solid defense most of the night with some stellar catches.

"I don't mind him coming home. We're going to get one out, but he rushed it," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said. "We made some great defensive plays. It's a shame that the little things we didn't do in the eighth cost us."

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Johnson then struck out Michael Barrett before Matt Murton delivered a tying, two-run single. Jones followed with his three-run shot to left, his third homer of the season.

What does Jones make of the reception he's been getting less than a month into the season?

"I'm not confused at all. I've seen friends go through it. Sammy Sosa hit 60 home runs three years and went into a little slump," Jones said. "They have the right to voice whatever opinion they want to. It's not going to make me play better, it's not going to make me play any worse. ...

"I got to get used to it and I'm blocking it out as much as I can. It is what it is."

Carlos Zambrano matched a career high with 12 strikeouts but remained winless in five starts this season because Chicago couldn't muster any offense until he was out of the game.

"Vargas was dealing today. I knew if I kept the score like that, we would come back. I trust my team. I trust my hitters," Zambrano said.

David Aardsma (1-0) got the win with a scoreless eighth. Ryan Dempster closed for his fifth save.

Florida took a 3-0 lead on Cabrera's two-run homer in the first off Zambrano. Josh Willingham had an RBI double in the third.

Facing a Cubs team missing injured star Derrek Lee, Vargas held Chicago hitless until Neifi Perez doubled in the fifth.

With a runner on first and one out in the seventh, Vargas hit Jones with a pitch and was replaced by Herges. He struck out Perez and got pinch-hitter John Mabry on a hot hopper to second to end the inning.

Vargas walked four and struck out two in 6 1-3 innings.

With Kerry Wood and Mark Prior still rehabbing shoulder injuries in Arizona, Zambrano has not been the ace the Cubs need, but he did get stronger as the game went on. He pitched seven innings, allowing six hits, three walks and three runs.

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LeBron shines in NBA playoffs debut

2006-04-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

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LeBron James had an NBA playoff debut that was simply Magical.

Showcasing his spectacular skills as a pro in the postseason for the first time, James recorded a triple-double and brought the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the playoffs in style with a 97-86 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, becoming the first player since Magic Johnson to post a triple-double in his first playoff game.

"It's a great class to be in," James said.

If Game 1 of his playoff resume was any indication, James may one day be in a class by himself.

Over 48 minutes, the 21-year-old, who is battling a cold, did a little of everything to help the Cavaliers land the first blow in what could be a lengthy series between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the Eastern Conference.

As always, the pregame hype centered around James, who barely missed the playoffs in his first two seasons. He hadn't been in such a pressure-packed game since he was a high school senior, and many wondered if he could handle the pressure.

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"He's played on big stages his whole life," Cavs forward Drew Gooden said. "It's expected of him."

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James is just the third player in history to get a triple-double in his playoff debut. Johnson (13 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists) did it for the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 1980, and Johnny McCarthy (13 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) had one for St. Louis on March 16, 1960.

"Nothing he does surprises me anymore," Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "He's just a terrific player. He's a tremendous luxury to have, knowing he can go out there any time and put up numbers like that."

Cleveland's first game back in the playoffs since 1998 - when James was a seventh grader - couldn't have gone much better.

James got plenty of help from his supporting cast as Donyell Marshall added 19 points, Eric Snow 14 and Ilgauskas and Flip Murray 10 apiece for the Cavs. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Wizards have some work to do before then. Not only do they have to rethink their defensive strategy on James, who threw over or drove around double teams, but Washington needs to work on its free-throw and 3-point shooting.

The Wizards were only 25-of-36 from the 15-foot line and just 3-of-22 from long range.

Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, Washington's usually reliable offensive trio that came in averaging 67.4 points combined, scored 48 as Cleveland's defense made it tough for any of them to get a good look at the basket.

"What hurt me most was my team not playing the way we are supposed to play," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "They did. We didn't."

Arenas led Washington with 26 points, but he got 17 of them in the fourth quarter when the Cavs were already up by double digits. Arenas fouled out with 49 seconds left when he hacked Snow, who used his thumb to show Washington's guard the way back to the bench.

James got his 10th rebound with 22 seconds to go, prompting Cavs fans into another chorus of "M-V-P! M-V-P!," a chant they started early in the game when Cleveland's superstar helped an official corral a stray balloon floating near the floor.

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"I was going to let the ref get it, but figured that if I grabbed it, maybe he'd give me a few more calls," James joked.

Cleveland was up by 14 at halftime, and James helped push the Cavs' advantage to 17 after three with a memorable assist to Murray. Driving the lane, James went into the air, turned his head to the right and delivered a left-handed scoop underneath to Murray, whose layup made it 74-57.

When the Wizards closed within 13 in the fourth, James isolated Butler on the left side, blew past him and soared for a strong layup to make it 89-74 with 4:44 remaining.

"He controlled the game," Wizards forward Jared Jeffries said. "You could live with him getting 30 points, but what you don't want is 11 rebounds and 11 assists."

James showed a bit of nervousness early on, shooting an airball on his first jumper. But once he settled down, it was business as usual. He scored 13 points with four assists and three rebounds in the first quarter, helping the Cavs open a 31-20 lead.

"My first shot in my first All-Star game was an airball, too," James said.

With the score tied 18-all, James drained a 3-pointer from up top and scored nine straight points. He then fed Marshall in the right corner for a 3 as the Cavaliers ripped off 12 in a row and closed the period with a 13-2 spurt.

Panthers sign Na'il Diggs from Packers

2006-04-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Carolina Panthers added another outside linebacker Thursday, signing free agent Na'il Diggs from the Green Bay Packers to a one-year contract.

Diggs, 27, started 80 games in six seasons with the Packers, but was limited to just nine games last season after tearing the medial collateral ligaments in both knees on different occasions.

Diggs is the second outside linebacker to sign with Carolina in the past week, joining Keith Adams, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Panthers lost both starting outside linebackers this offseason. Will Witherspoon signed with St. Louis and Brandon Short was cut and later signed by his former team, the New York Giants.

Last year's first-round draft pick, Thomas Davis. is expected to fill one of those vacancies. Diggs, Adams, Adam Seward and Chris Draft will compete for the other spot.

"He's was a veteran guy we feel can come in and compete for a starting job," said Panthers general manager Marty Hurney.

A fourth-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2000, Diggs has 541 tackles, seven sacks and four interceptions. Hurney said it's unclear if Davis will play weakside or strongside linebacker. Diggs has played both positions.

The signing of Adams and Diggs likely means the Panthers will not address that position with their first pick (27th overall) in the draft. It's more likely the team will look to fill needs at running back or tight end.

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Mayor says city can't afford new Chargers stadium

Cash-strapped San Diego doesn't have the money to help the Chargers build a new stadium, Mayor Jerry Sanders said Friday, opening the door for Southern California's only NFL team to leave the city it has called home for 45 years.

Sanders said he plans to ask the City Council to amend the Chargers' lease to allow the team to begin looking at sites elsewhere in San Diego County before the end of the year. If the team fails to find a new home in the county before Jan. 1, the Chargers would be free to negotiate a deal anywhere in the country.

The Chargers can leave San Diego after the 2008 season if they pay off the approximately $60 million in bonds the city issued in 1997 to expanded Qualcomm Stadium.

"I do not think it would be prudent or honest for me to say to taxpayers 'We can't resurface our roadways, but we can finance a stadium,"' the mayor said.

Chula Vista and Oceanside, two smaller cities south and north of San Diego, have been mentioned as possible new homes within the county.

San Diego is facing what the mayor called a financial and a managerial crisis, which includes a $1.4 billion city employee pension fund deficit and federal investigations into city finances.

The Chargers have been in San Diego since 1961, the year after they started playing in Los Angeles under the ownership of hotel magnate Barron Hilton.

Last year, the team proposed building a $450 million stadium as part of a commercial development the Qualcomm site, but dropped the plan because it could not find developers to share the estimated $800 million upfront costs. The team offered to pay for the stadium and traffic improvements, but wanted the city to give it 60 acres for development to recoup its costs.

Earlier this year, the mayor of San Antonio signaled that his city would welcome the Chargers to fill the Alamodome, where the displaced New Orleans Saints played three games last season.

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Bonds gets booed, and walked in win

2006-04-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

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Barry Bonds reached base three times without getting a hit and scored once as the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Although Bonds was booed every time he came to bat, he took less grief from the fans than he did on Monday, when he was booed mercilessly and had a syringe thrown at him.

A security guard stood on top of the Giants' dugout after each half-inning on a cold Wednesday night, when there were 20,000 fewer fans in the stands than on opening day. The Padres closed a standing-room-only area just beyond the left-field corner because of what one team executive said was unruly fan behavior on Monday.

Matt Morris won his Giants debut, holding the Padres to five hits and a run in 6 1-3 innings. Shawn Estes, a former Giants pitcher, lost his Padres debut by allowing three runs in the sixth even though the Giants hit the ball out of the infield just once.

San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez had three hits, including a homer leading off the seventh.

Omar Vizquel slapped Estes' first pitch of the sixth into left field. Ray Durham's comebacker hit the front of Estes' left cleat and bounced into the air for an infield single. Bonds walked to load the bases, with the left-handed Estes throwing several inside pitches.

Estes fielded Moises Alou's two-bouncer and probably could have thrown out Vizquel at the plate, but he doubled-clutched and threw to first, where Alou was safe with an RBI infield single. Estes walked Lance Niekro, forcing in another run, and Bonds scored on a double play.

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Bonds reached base leading off the second and fourth innings, and was stranded each time. Estes hit Bonds with a pitch on his right elbow guard in the second. Bonds reached in the fourth on a throwing error by rookie second baseman Josh Barfield. With the Padres playing the "Bonds shift," where all the fielders move to their left, Barfield fielded the slugger's one-hopper in shallow right, but overthrew first baseman Gonzalez.

Bonds left after the top of the sixth. He played Wednesday night even though the Giants have their home opener Thursday afternoon. The original plan was to play him on Monday and Tuesday, then rest him Wednesday, but Tuesday night's game was rained out.

Bonds is under investigation by baseball for alleged steroid abuse. The slugger denies using performance-enhancing drugs. He entered the season with 708 homers, seven shy of passing Babe Ruth for second and 48 short of breaking Hank Aaron's record.

Morris allowed Gonzalez's homer leading off the seventh, then was chased by consecutive one-out singles by Vinny Castilla and Barfield. Steve Kline retired pinch-hitter Eric Young, walked pinch-hitter Doug Mirabelli to load the bases, then struck out pinch-hitter Mark Bellhorn.

Morris struck out three and walked three. Estes allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, struck out four and walked three. Tim Worrell pitched the ninth for the save, getting Young to hit into a game-ending double play with one on. It was the third double play turned by the Giants.

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Sports News Online

2006-04-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

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NFL Football

QB told to stay away from workout complex

The 11-year relationship between the Tennessee Titans and veteran Steve McNair took an unexpected turn on Monday when the veteran quarterback was told not to work out at the team's off-season facility, according to a report in the Daily Tennessean.

Bengals sign Pro Bowl DT Sam Adams

The Cincinnati Bengals signed unrestricted free-agent defensive tackle Sam Adams to a three-year contract Monday.

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NBA Basketball

Shaq erupts in tirade, rips refs and NBA exec Jackson

Shaquille O'Neal didn't mince words about the five personal fouls he got in Miami's loss to the New Jersey Nets, taking aim at referees and NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson.

Sonic pleads guilty to reckless driving

Seattle SuperSonics forward Rashard Lewis pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was given a one-year suspended sentence Monday, five months after he failed sobriety and breath tests during a stop on Interstate 90.

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Current Sports News

2006-03-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Critics already blasting steroid investigation

Baseball launched its probe Thursday into steroids use by Barry Bonds and others, and right away the head of the investigation came under attack. Commissioner Bud Selig said former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell - and a director of the Boston Red Sox - will lead the inquiry. Mitchell said he will not resign his position.

Durham confident he'll be ready for opener

Ray Durham has no doubts his tender left foot will be healthy in time for San Francisco's season opener Monday at San Diego. The Giants second baseman was scratched from this past Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals in Arizona because of plantar fasciitis in his foot, a problem that bothered him for most of spring training.

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World Soccer

Henry will announce future before World Cup

Thierry Henry will announce whether he is staying with Arsenal before this year's World Cup. "At the end of the season we are going to have to take a decision," Henry told the club's TV network. "It will be done before the World Cup, that's for sure."

Milan denies it is selling Shevchenko

AC Milan denied it was considering selling Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea, rejecting reports in the English press. "It's a rumor that doesn't even deserve to be denied," Milan's Web site quoted chairman Adriano Galliani as saying Friday.

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NFL - NBA ONLINE NEWS

2006-03-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Randy Moss' agent arrested again in Florida

The agent for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss was arrested last weekend for failing to appear at a hearing stemming from his March 14 arrest on crack cocaine charges.

NFL curtails end zone celebrations

As a series of plays from the 2005 season flashed on the screen at the NFL meetings, people began to yawn. Examples of "down by contact" or minor movement that led to illegal procedure calls just weren't attention grabbers.

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NBA Basketball

LeBron's 46 lead Cavs past Mavs, into playoffs

LeBron James was in seventh grade the last time the Cleveland Cavaliers played in the postseason.

Taylor says trading Garnett 'not a possibility'

While Kevin Garnett appears to be growing increasingly impatient with the direction of the Minnesota Timberwolves, owner Glen Taylor says he can't envision a scenario where he would trade the team's only star.

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Ultimate News!

2006-03-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Kent agrees to a one-year contract extension

Second baseman Jeff Kent and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed Wednesday to an $11.5 million, one-year contract extension through 2007.

Indians sign Sizemore to $23.45 million deal

Popular center fielder Grady Sizemore signed a $23.45 million, six-year contract Wednesday with the Cleveland Indians, the most guaranteed money in a deal for a player with less than two years of major league service.

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World Soccer

Capello: Arsenal were lucky

Fabio Capello has claimed that Arsenal were "lucky" to beat his Juventus side 2-0 at Highbury on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Benfica holds Barcelona to 0-0 draw

Benfica held FC Barcelona to a 0-0 draw Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

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Weekend News!

2006-03-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Seahawks sign Ashworth to five-year deal

Former New England Patriots tackle Tom Ashworth has agreed to a $13 million, five-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

Keyshawn calls Smith key to his signing

Carolina receiver Steve Smith might have been the biggest influence in persuading Keyshawn Johnson to the sign with the Panthers.

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NBA Basketball

Pistons lose for just third time at home

Vince Carter's career has been built on his flashy offensive skills.

Lakers win fourth straight

Kwame Brown's sore hamstring held up well enough to allow the Los Angeles Lakers to put some distance between themselves and one of their major threats to a playoff berth.

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The Online News on Sports

2006-03-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Bonds to sue over steroids book; authors not worried

Bonds' attorneys sent a letter Thursday to an agent for the authors of "Game of Shadows," alerting them of plans to sue the writers, publisher Gotham Books, the San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated, which published excerpts this month.

Posada released from hospital

New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was released from the hospital on Thursday, one day after being admitted for a broken nose.

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Football Soccer News

Czech coach says USA will be stronger

Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner said Friday the United States' 4-1 friendly loss to Germany didn't mean it would be a pushover at the World Cup.

Guus Hiddink says he will quit PSV Eindhoven

PSV Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink said Friday he will leave the club at end of the season, but hasn't decided where he will work next.

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2006-03-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Cowboys land Vanderjagt as new kicker

It's been almost two weeks since the start of free agency, but the Dallas Cowboys have finally signed a new kicker.

Raiders sign QB Brooks to two-year contract

The Oakland Raiders found their replacement for Kerry Collins, agreeing to terms Wednesday with former New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks on a two-year contract worth more than $8 million.

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NBA Basketball

Lakers move into seventh in playoff race

Kwame Brown has taken a lot of heat from the hometown fans and media in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Iverson scores 29 in return to lineup

Still playing with a sore foot, Allen Iverson came back and invigorated fading Philadelphia.

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Sporting News!

2006-03-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Gooden admits violation, prison next?

Former baseball star Dwight Gooden admitted in court Wednesday that he violated his probation by using cocaine and likely faces prison time when he is sentenced next month.

Bonds misses Giants exhibition game

Barry Bonds didn't return to Arizona in time for the start of the San Francisco Giants' exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, apparently held up by travel delays.

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World Soccer

Sven-Goran Eriksson leads the race for Real Madrid job

Real Madrid are reportedly set to offer Sven-Goran Eriksson the chance to be their manager.

Barcelona moves closer to league title

Samuel Eto'o scored twice to pass the 100-goal plateau in his Spanish league career and FC Barcelona rallied to beat Getafe 3-1 on Tuesday, stretching its lead to 14 points.

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American Football and Basketball News

2006-03-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

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NFL

Dolphins sign Allen to four-year deal
Cornerback Will Allen signed a $12 million, four-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Monday after spending the last five seasons with the New York Giants.

Cowboys sign RT Fabini, too
The Dallas Cowboys signed offensive tackle Jason Fabini to a three-year contract Saturday, a potentially key addition overshadowed by the signing of receiver Terrell Owens.

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NBA

Wade rebounds leads Heat past Knicks at MSG
Coming off one of the worst games of his young career, Dwyane Wade studied video, made adjustments and took it to the New York Knicks.

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Nets beat Mavericks for the first time in six years
Richard Jefferson never had a victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Jason Kidd hardly could remember even being competitive against them since coming to New Jersey.

Sports Updates!

2006-03-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Three-hit loss to Mexico eliminates U.S.

Roger Clemens was looking for a much better finish to his brilliant career.

Cuba celebrates win over Puerto Rico

Joyous Cuban fans celebrated Thursday, a day after their team's big win in the World Baseball Classic sent some of them rushing into the streets with shouts and song.

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World Soccer

Van Nistelrooy staying at Man United

Manchester United assistant coach Carlos Queiroz says Ruud van Nistelrooy is staying at Old Trafford.

Boro face Basle in season's last eight

Middlesbrough will face Swiss league leaders Basle in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals after the draw in Eindhoven.

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The Top Sports News!

2006-03-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

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Football

Eagles sign Garcia, Gaffney

The Philadelphia Eagles signed veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia on Thursday, giving Donovan McNabb a capable and experienced backup he lacked last season.

Agent: Lions agree to terms with McCown

Former Arizona quarterback Josh McCown agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions Thursday, a move that could signal the end of Joey Harrington's run in Detroit.

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Basketball

Balanced Suns dismantle Clippers

The Phoenix Suns are running away with the Pacific Division again, and are lighting up the scoreboard in the process.

Billups' double-dip lifts Pistons

As the Detroit Pistons gear up for the playoffs, a few role players are showing they can be significant options on offense, too.

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Sports Betting News

2006-03-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Japan win puts Team USA in trouble

Team USA will be cheering for South Korea to beat Japan on Wednesday night. American hopes of winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic could disappear if the Japanese prevail.

Dominican Republic edges past Venezuela

Pitching for his country has brought out the best in Daniel Cabrera.

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World Soccer

Inter beats Ajax to reach quarterfinals

Dejan Stankovic scored in the 57th minute and Inter Milan beat Ajax 1-0 Tuesday to take the last spot in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Inter: No Ronaldo contact

Internazionale owner Massimo Moratti has denied making contact with Real Madrid striker Ronaldo.

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Top News!

2006-03-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Owens finally released by Eagles

Terrell Owens is free to play for any team willing to have him.

Agent: Lions, Kitna reach tentative agreement

The Lions and Jon Kitna have reached a tentative agreement that will bring the free-agent quarterback to Detroit, his agent said Tuesday.

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NBA Basketball

Anthony leads Nuggets' rout of Knicks

The New York Knicks showed they could run with the Denver Nuggets for half the game.

Clippers get fourth consecutive win

One of Mike Dunleavy's biggest projects during his three seasons as Los Angeles Clippers coach has been turning Chris Kaman into a top NBA center.

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Sports News!

2006-03-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Puerto Rico cruises past Dominican Republic

Jose Cruz Jr. went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and four Puerto Rico pitchers combined to shut down the Dominican Republic in a 7-1 win in the second round of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday night.

Canadian outfielder returns to Red Sox

When star-for-a-day Adam Stern returned to his Boston Red Sox teammates, three of them serenaded the outfielder with his national anthem.

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World Soccer

Jose covets Ballack signature

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed his desire to sign Michael Ballack and form a "dream pair" with England midfielder Frank Lampard.

Osasuna pulls surprise win over leader Barcelona

Valdo Lopes scored and Patxi Punal added a penalty on Sunday to give Osasuna a 2-1 victory over leader FC Barcelona in the Spanish league.

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Online Sports News

2006-03-10T09:34:00.001-08:00

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NFL Football

Fed-up Vikings working on trading Culpepper

One day after Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper announced that he was asking out of Minnesota, the Vikings are looking to grant his request.

Patriots cut McGinest in cap move

The New England Patriots released linebacker Willie McGinest in a salary cap move, ending a 12-year relationship with the NFL's all-time postseason sack leader.

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NBA Basketball

Spurs halt Nash-less Suns' 11-game winning streak

Steve Nash made a case for another MVP award Thursday night - without playing a minute.

Pierce has triple-double in win

Paul Pierce's seventh straight 30-point game showed he can do more than just score.

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2006-03-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

World Sports News!

2006-03-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Canada scores major upset of U.S.

The country where hockey is king stole America's pastime on a chilly Arizona afternoon.

Cuba works overtime to win its WBC opener

Cuban and Panamanian fans brought their flags and hopes to Hiram Bithorn Stadium expecting a good show.

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World Soccer

Inzaghi's two goals lead AC Milan

Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals to lead AC Milan to a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich and a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Madrid's CL exit to spell start of revolution

Real Madrid's elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal may signal a revolution at the ailing powerhouse.

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Sports Top News!

2006-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Rams sign Glover to three-year contract
The St. Louis Rams signed defensive tackle La'Roi Glover on Monday, inking the six-time Pro Bowl selection who was released by Dallas last week to a three-year deal.

Talks break off again in NFL labor dispute
Shaun Alexander is back with Seattle, LaVar Arrington is on the market and Kerry Collins is in limbo.

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NBA Basketball

Spurs get seventh straight win over Lakers
Manu Ginobili hit four 3-pointers when the San Antonio Spurs took control early in the third quarter on the way to a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Shaq celebrates b-day with monster game
The Miami Heat gave Shaquille O'Neal the only birthday gift he wanted: the ball when the game was on the line.

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Breaking the Sports News!

2006-03-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Puckett's Hall of Fame spirit was immortal
A good friend of mine, a colleague I greatly respect, insists that we — the Baseball Writers Association of America — blew it by electing Kirby Puckett to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2001.

Beckett gets roughed up in debut
Josh Beckett refused to make excuses for a rocky outing in his spring debut for the Boston Red Sox. The right-hander, acquired from Florida in a seven-player trade during the offseason, allowed five runs in three innings of Boston's 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday.

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World Soccer

Chelsea manager jostled by Barcelona fans
Jose Mourinho goes from one flashpoint to another and could be in trouble with the Football Association.

AC Milan and Bayern resume after draw
Italy's duel with Germany continues Wednesday when AC Milan hosts Bayern Munich in the second round of the Champions League.

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Football & NBA News

2006-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Packers, Green agree to one-year deal

The Green Bay Packers don't yet know Brett Favre's future, but they now know where Ahman Green will play next season.

Redskins, Arrington agree to part ways

LaVar Arrington was so disenchanted with the Washington Redskins that he gave up money rather than stay with the team.

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NBA Basketball

USA names possible roster for '08 Games

Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Lamar Odom are among six members of the 2004 Olympic bronze medal team selected by USA Basketball for a possible spot on the world championship and 2008 Beijing Olympic teams.

Balanced Sonics shock Jazz

Earl Watson threw behind-the-back passes to Rashard Lewis for open 3-pointers, and ally-oops to Chris Wilcox that brought the crowd to its feet.

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The top headlines on Sports

2006-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Clemens sharp in second outing before WBC
Roger Clemens was back on the mound at Houston Astros camp Thursday, striking out four of the 10 minor leaguers he faced and catching a hard line drive.

Graffanino expects to leave Boston
Tony Graffanino loves playing for the Boston Red Sox. Even his costly postseason error makes him want to stay.

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World Soccer

Sir Alex patient with Scholes
Sir Alex Ferguson will resist any temptation to rush Paul Scholes' recovery from a major eye problem despite the midfielder's surprise appearance at training this week.

Inter in the hunt for Ballack
Inter Milan have reportedly been reassured that they are still in the running to sign Michael Ballack.

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Today's Headlines

2006-03-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

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NFL News!

Cowboys' Glover among early cuts
It's no longer "Bloody Thursday," but there have still been some big-name cuts across the NFL.

Agent: Titans pay $1M to keep McNair
The Tennessee Titans decided Thursday to pay a $1 million fee that will keep quarterback Steve McNair with the team this season but allow him to become a free agent after 2006.

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NBA News!

Fourth-quarter surge gives Sixers win
Even though Allen Iverson scored 40 points, the Philadelphia 76ers knew it took a team effort to rally past the Houston Rockets.

Hornets held to NBA record low in 2nd half
Next month will mark six years since Sports Illustrated mocked the Los Angeles Clippers in a feature story that labeled them as the worst franchise in sports history, and put three alleged Clippers fans on the cover with paper bags over their heads.

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Seeking for sports action!

2006-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

MLB Baseball

Lowe looks to put aside last year's troubles
Derek Lowe was having a difficult time focusing upon arrival at the Los Angeles Dodgers' clubhouse.

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Ichiro looking forward to playing for Japan in WBC
Ichiro Suzuki is looking forward to donning a Japanese uniform for the inaugural World Baseball Classic and says he wants to accomplish something that has eluded him in an illustrious five-year major league career — win a championship.

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World Soccer

Chelsea will sign Ballack in the summer
Chelsea have reportedly won the race to sign Michael Ballack and will make the German the highest-paid footballer in the world if and when he signs a four-year deal in the summer.

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Barcelona president Laporta still wary of Chelsea
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has warned the club's Champions League tie with Chelsea is far from over and has called on the Blaugrana fans to give the team their full support in the second leg.

Hollywood's NBA & NFL News!

2006-02-27T16:29:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Brock signs five-year deal to stay with Colts

Defensive lineman Raheem Brock signed a five-year contract Friday that makes sure one of the Indianapolis Colts' most versatile defenders stays off the free agent market.

Ryans ready to take game to NFL

Some players come to the NFL scouting combine expecting to answer questions about past indiscretions.

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NBA Basketball

Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett was ejected in the third quarter of Minnesota's victory over Memphis on Sunday for tossing the ball into the stands and accidentally hitting a fan.

Gilbert Arenas has a mission for the second half of the season.

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In the Sports News

2006-02-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Dominicans might lose Martinez and Ramirez

Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez might drop off the Dominican Republic's team in the World Baseball Classic.

Damon grazed by Big Unit's pitch in BP

Johnny Damon needed only three pitches before being reminded how intimidating Randy Johnson can be.

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World Soccer

Eriksson says Arsenal star must return soon

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said Friday that Sol Campbell must soon resume regular play for Arsenal to have a chance of making it to the World Cup.

Will success keep Henry at Highbury?

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood is convinced the Champions League win over Real Madrid will convince striker Thierry Henry to sign a new contract.

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This Thursday's Headlines

2006-02-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

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NFL Football

Harrington is still Lions' starter for now

For now, Joey Harrington is the Detroit Lions' quarterback.

Del Rio signs new deal with Jags

Coach Jack Del Rio signed a new deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday, keeping him with the team for three more seasons.

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NBA Basketball

The 76ers' other A.I. gave another All-Star performance.

Tracy McGrady has put whatever personal problems he had behind him.

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Online Sports News

2006-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

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MLB Baseball

Apologetic Tejada greets forgiving Orioles

Miguel Tejada walked into the Baltimore Orioles' clubhouse and was greeted by his teammates - one hug at a time.

Beltran hopes to prove his worth

Carlos Beltran arrived at spring training Tuesday looking to rebound from a disappointing first year with the New York Mets.

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World Soccer

Madrid bowled over by Henry

Real Madrid players sang the praises of Thierry Henry, the Arsenal striker whose spectacular solo goal earned his team a a 1-0 victory at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the first leg of a Champions League knockout match.

Milan earns draw in Munich

Andriy Shevchenko's seventh Champions League goal this season gave AC Milan a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

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