NBA
BLAZERS WORK OVERTIME TO BEAT BULLS
The Portland Trail Blazers now have another winning streak going, but it wasn't easy. They edged the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City on Thursday with a double overtime 115-109 victory.
The Blazers are now 20-13 on the season and have won 15 of their last 16 games. So much for waiting for Greg Oden.
Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 25 points and 11 rebounds for the formerly hapless team. He got offensive support from Travis Outlaw, who had 21 points. Four other Portland players hit double figures.
The Bulls, who fall to 12-19 on the season, were paced by Ben Gordon, who came off the bench to score 32 points. Joe Smith had 31 to go with his 11 rebounds. Ben Wallace had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Phoenix 104, Seattle 96
Denver 80, San Antonio 77
NBA NOTES
* While his star-power teammates were racking up the points on Thursday, Marcus Camby kept after the missed shots at the other end of the court. Denver's dynamic duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 46 points (17 and 29) while Camby had 18 rebounds as the Nuggets beat the Spurs.
* Nothing is more demoralizing than having a 20-point lead in the first quarter-and then losing. But this is the Seattle SuperSonics, and no one really thought they would beat the Phoenix Suns.
NFL
WILD CARD WEEKEND
SATURDAY
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (11-5) vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-6) The Jaguars enter the playoffs with a healthy offensive unit, and having played solid football down the stretch. The same cannot be said for the Steelers who wobbled to the season's finish line-due to injuries and poor performance. And one more thing-the Jags have owned the Steelers in recent meetings!
SS Pick: Jacksonville 27, Pittsburgh 20
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (9-7) vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-6)
Since the tragic death of All-Pro safety Sean Taylor, the Redskins have played the NFL's best football by a team not named the Patriots. Their defensive unit has been strong, and their offensive unit has been impressive under the leadership of journeyman back-up Todd Collins. Can they win a playoff game on the road? Let's just say it this way, I wouldn't want to play the 'Skins right now.
SS Pick: Washington 20, Seattle 16
SUNDAY
NEW YORK GIANTS (10-6) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9-7)
The Giants rush the passer better than any team in the NFL, while the Bucs have a 37-year-old quarterback. Not a good combination. Right? Not so fast. That 37-year-old QB (Jeff Garcia) has beaten the New York Giants twice in the playoffs in recent years-both 2003 and 2006. Can he do it again? Not this time.
SS Pick: New York Giants 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
TENNESSEE TITANS (10-6) vs. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (11-5)
There were plenty of early-season doubters when the Chargers stumbled to a 1-3 mark under first-year head coach Norv Turner. The doubters have gone into hiding since the Chargers have turned things around in big fashion. And they're not done yet. San Diego is clearly the superior team in this AFC clash.
SS Pick: San Diego 31, Tennessee 16
NHL
PENGUINS STAY HOT; DOWN MAPLE LEAFS
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't play outside. They didn't play in front of 70,000 people. But they did play well, and they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Thursday.
Evgeni Malkin tallied his first career hat trick to lead the Penguins to their fifth-straight victory. Superstar Sidney Crosby assisted on two of Malkin's goals.
Why are the Penguins so good of late? It could be because of goaltender Ty Conklin. All Conklin has done since being called up from the minors is go 6-0 as the starter!
Pittsburgh improved to 22-16-2 on the season.
NHL SCORES
Boston 2, Washington 0
Montreal 6, Tampa Bay 3
Columbus 4, Washington 3
Minnesota 6, Dallas 3
Nashville 5, Edmonton 2
Phoenix 4, Chicago 2
Vancouver 3, New York Rangers 0
Calgary 3, San Jose 2 - OT
Florida 4, New York Islanders 3 - OT
NCAA
BOWL REPORT
JAYHAWKS SQUEEZE PAST HOKIES
The Orange Bowl was all about the Big Mo. Kansas had more of it than Virginia Tech and captured the game 24-21.
Kansas had the momentum going early, carving out a 17-0 lead in the middle of the second period. But late in the half, the Hokies shifted Big Mo to its side by scoring with just 1:24 left. They kept momentum on their side into the second half, scoring their second TD at 11:35 to sneak to within three. As they lined up later to boot a field goal that would have tied the game, things were beginning to look bleak for Kansas.
But the Jayhawks' defense blocked the punt and Big Mo switched sides. Kansas scored another TD with 10:57 left, and the Hokies couldn't come all the way back. They narrowed the gap to 24-21 with three minutes left, but a failed onside kick doomed their hopes of knocking off Kansas.
Todd Reesing led the Jayhawks by hitting 20 of his 37 passes for 227 yards and one TD. Brandon Ore was the main catalyst for Tech, rushing for 116 yards.
Kansas finishes the season 12-1 while Virginia Tech headed back to Blacksburg with an 11-3 mark.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
TODAY'S QUESTION: It's Wild Card Weekend. Which NFL team was the last Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl?
PREVIOUS QUESTION: Kyle Korver has a .911 percentage from the free-throw line this season (41-45), but he doesn't have enough shots to qualify for the Top 10 list. Who is leading the league in free-throw percentage? Is it Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul, Ray Allen, or Kirk Hinrich?
ANSWER: Ray Allen stands atop the charts. He has hit 110 of 120 free throw attempts. His .917 percentage is just above Ben Gordon's at .916. Interestingly, he is just one shot behind Allen at 109 for 119. Others shooting over 90 percent are Kirk Hinrich, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, and James Jones.
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today’s sports news
TWENTY YEARS
"I feel great." Those were the last words in the sometimes spectacular and sometimes troubled 40-year life of Peter Press Maravich. It was January 5, 1988. The Pistol was visiting Southern California, and he was going to be making a guest appearance on Focus on the Family. Not too many years earlier, Maravich had awakened one night in his home near New Orleans to what he says was the sound of a voice telling him to "Lift up thine own heart." Maravich, who had rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ nearly 20 years earlier-before he became the greatest college basketball scorer ever-made a middle-of-the-night conversion to Jesus. He put behind his search for happiness that had led him to study Eastern religions and paint a target for UFOs on his garage roof. Now, on this January morning in SoCal, he was playing pickup basketball with Dr. Jim Dobson and Ralph Drollinger, the former UCLA star and the founder of Sports Spectrum magazine. Maravich was taking a breather, and Dobson asked him how he was doing. "I feel great," he said. Then he died. Just died. At 40 years old, Pistol Pete Maravich left his college sweetheart and kindred spirit Jackie behind to protect and care for their two boys who idolized their daddy. They didn't do that like millions of other boys who grew up emulating Pete because of his skills-they idolized their daddy because he loved them, cared for them, and told them about Jesus. A legendary figure to a growing generation of basketball fans who admired him for his still unmatched wizardry with a basketball, Maravich had turned to Jesus with the same passion that he had pursued basketball as a kid. Maravich was a 24/7 Christian before anyone even used the term 24/7. He spoke glowingly to young people everywhere about the difference made in his life and how worthless all of his trophies and accolades were when compared with his faith. Tomorrow marks 20 years that we have missed Pete Maravich. We miss him because we can no longer tell him thanks for what he did for college basketball in its nascent days of capturing America's attention. We miss him because he was becoming such an evangelist for the kingdom of God. And we miss him just for the simple fact that his young wife and her two little boys have had to endure 20 years without their prince. Twenty years is a long time to miss someone as much as Pete Maravich is missed.
WHAT DAY?
In The Daily for Thursday, we suggested that it's time to get rid of a couple of overused sports cliches, namely, "score the basketball" and "How big was that?" We discovered that "at the end of the day," there were other nominees for Punt That Word. Erik Baade of Indianapolis suggested we ban "at the end of the day." This phrase rears its cliched head when someone wants to suggest the final chapter of a story but can't quite figure out how to suggest it. For instance, "at the end of the day," we discover that Cam Cameron wasn't the right guy for Miami. In reality, he was fired at the beginning of the day, and what day are we talking about here?
CAM CAME AND WENT
One season. One victory. One firing. That's the resume of Cam Cameron now that he has been booted out the door in Miami. Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland have decided that the Miami Dolphins will have their fifth coach in five seasons, firing Cameron, who had originally signed on the coach until 2010. Previous coaches: Dave Wannstedt (2000-2004); Jim Bates (2004); Nick Saban (2005-2006); Cameron (2007). The Dolphins appear to be looking at successful assistant coaches to run the ballclub. The Daily's favorite choice? Leslie Frazier, defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings.
SWISHER'S A SOX
Chicago just got a new hero. The Oakland A's, who are apparently building for the future and might just want to skip 2008 altogether, have traded another of their top players for prospects, and this could turn out to be something big in Chicago. Nick Swisher, who was plenty popular in Oakland, could become the next big thing in the City of the Big Shoulders. Swisher hit 22 home runs for Oakland last season and hit .277. Sox' fans have been mystified by some of the moves made in the past couple of years by management, but this should restore at least some hope that the team is serious about competing in the tough AL Central.
WHO IS HE?
Testing your knowledge of past stars -- taken from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine.
FRIDAY'S MYSTERY PERSON
* Was once dubbed "The Strongest Man on Earth."
* As a weightlifter, he once squatted 1,175 pounds
* He won gold in the 1956 Olympics
* He could bench press 700 pounds
* NFL Defensive Player of the Year: 1985, 1988
Once said, "I can't get through a minute of the day without Jesus. The greatest thing in my life is being a Christian."
THURSDAY'S MYSTERY PERSON
* Played in 12 NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears.
* Made 1,488 tackles in 191 games
* Once had 20 tackles in one game.
* Selected the 1990 NFL Man of the Year
* NFL Defensive Player of the Year: 1985, 1988
Says, "In John 8:32 it says, 'You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' Understand that your body is the temple of Jesus Christ."
WHO IS HE? Mike Singletary, now a coach for the San Francisco 49ers.
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER:
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: LaDainian Tomlinson
RUNNING BACK, San Diego Chargers
BIO NOTE: Tomlinson is the featured person in this season's Sports Spectrum Power to Win video. Many people use this video as a supplemental element at their Super Bowl parties, for it clearly explains the gospel.
RECENT NEWS: Tomlinson is on the cover of the most recent edition of Sports Spectrum magazine.
FAITH QUOTE: "I grew up in a strong Christian home and family. My mother is a strong Christian woman, and she always taught us to always live upright and keep God first, and he'll bless us in a mighty way. And that's just the way I grew up as a humble person, and it has helped me along the way."
—Sports Spectrum magazine
SS DAILY INTERVIEW:
To hear today's interview, go to the Sports Spectrum radio home page. It can be found at www.sport.org.
THE FRIDAY GUEST
CJ WOOLUM, basketball coach, Christopher Newport University
With all of the attention on the NFL and the NBA and even baseball's Hot Stove discussions, it's sometimes hard to notice that college basketball is underway. The non-conference schedules have given way to hard-fought conference games, and soon things will be shaping up toward March Madness. To get a glimpse inside college basketball, listen in as CJ Woolum discusses the Top 25 and who he thinks is getting too much attention so far this season. And who's not getting enough.
