NBA
MAVS DON’T GET KIDD, STILL WIN
It was supposed to be, according to many sources, the day the Dallas Mavericks would land Jason Kidd to solidify their chances of winning the Western Conference over a number of formidable foes. But when Devean George decided that he preferred the Big D to NJ, the deal fell through, and the status quo prevailed.
Which turned out, at least for one night, to be good enough for the Mavs. Behind the shooting of Dirk Nowitzki (37 points) and Jason Terry (24), the Mavs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 96-76 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
George, who let the team know just before gametime that he was not going to be a part of the trade, suffered from the pressure—going 0 for 11 from the floor and 0-for 2 from the charity stripe for zero points in 33 minutes of play.
Brandon Roy led Portland with 25 points.
The Blazers are 28-24 as they settle in for the All-Star break. The Mavs improved to 35-17.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Washington 91, LA Clippers 89
Utah 112, Seattle 93
San Antonio 112, Cleveland 105
Orlando 109, Denver 98
Philadelphia 102, Memphis 88
Toronto 109, New Jersey 91
Charlotte 100, Atlanta 98
Boston 111, New York 103
Houston 89, Sacramento 87
LA Lakers 117, Minnesota 92
New Orleans 111, Milwaukee 107
Detroit 96, Indiana 80
NHL
GIONTA LEADS DEVILS OVER SENATORS IN OT
Brian Gionta pushed a rebound past Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber just two minutes into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 win on Wednesday night.
Gionta, who hadn’t scored a goal in his last 13 games, scored his 14th goal of the season on the game winner. Gionta’s first shot was stopped by Gerber, the puck then bounced to Jamie Langenbrunner who was also turned away by Gerber, only to have Gionta sweep it in for the game winner.
The victory gave Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur his 30th win of the season. It’s the 12th consecutive season he’s accomplished the feat. No other netminder in NHL history has accomplished that string of dominance.
New Jersey pulled within one point of the Atlantic Division lead. Pittsburgh currently sits atop the division
OTHER NHL SCORES
Buffalo 1, Toronto 0
Boston 2, Pittsburgh 1
Chicago 7, Columbus 2
Montreal 2, Florida 1 – OT
Atlanta 3, Washington 2 – OT Shootout
FACTS OF THE DAY
THE BUZZ IN NEW ORLEANS
50 YEARS OF PISTONS
The Detroit Pistons are celebrating their 50th season in the NBA in 2007-2008. Here’s a look at their low mark and their best season.
Worst regular season record:
The Pistons went 16-
Best regular season record:
The Pistons went 64-
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: MIKE SWEENEY
BIO NOTE: Sweeney has played his entire career with the Kansas City Royals—until now.
RECENT NEWS: The
FAITH QUOTE: "Are you looking for something to fill that void that only Christ can fill? Are you looking for something besides success and pleasure to give you the happiness that has always seemed elusive? Are you wanting to know you are loved just for who you are and not because of any accomplishments or accolades? Trust Jesus as Savior."
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
ANDY’S HEARING
It was Roger Clemens’ hearing that took the spotlight on Thursday, but the Rocket to tried refocus attention on Andy Pettitte’s hearing. As in “Andy misheard” what Roger told him. So, now it boils down to Pettitte’s faulting hearing, not Clemens’ own possible faulty decision-making that is the root of this problem. Roger told his best friend something about performance-enhancing drugs, and that best friend didn’t truly understand what he was being told. So he calmly grabbed his gear, said goodbye, and left. Think about this. If your best friend had just told you something that could have far-reaching implications for his future, wouldn’t you say, “What? Did you just tell me you took steroids?” This continues to reverberate back to the bad advice of Donald Fehr, who advised his minions not to respond to Senator George Mitchell. None of this congressional stuff would have happened to Clemens if he had cooperated early on. Just ask Jason Giambi.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?
Vote in The Daily Weekly Poll. The question is simple: Who to you believe? Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee. Somebody is lying, and we want to know which of the two you think is prevaricating.
HOOSIER DILEMMA
The Indiana Hoosiers find themselves with still another coaching dilemma. For years the problem was Bob Knight—great with the Xs and Os but not so good with people. Then there was Mike Davis, full of integrity and good will but perhaps not the thorough court strategist needed in Bloomington. Enter Kelvin Sampson, who seemed to have a lot of both needed characteristics: good coach, good with people. But now, it turns out, he too has a fatal flaw. He can’t seem to follow the simplest of NCAA rules. Now that the governing body has discovered that Sampson flouted a rule that he had been punished for previously breaking, his days in Bloomington could also be numbered. Couple of names to consider, Hoosiers, just in case Sampson has to pack up his Sampsonite and get out of town: Lorenzo Romar and Tony Bennett. They’ll treat your players right. They’ll compete at a high level. And they’ll follow the rules. Take your pick. You can’t go wrong. Oh, and if you need somebody from your own state: Scott Drew is worth a look.
WHO IS HE?
Testing your knowledge of past sports stars—taken from “Legends” articles from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine
WEDNESDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• Made the
• At one time held the world record in the 880-yard run, the one mile run, and the 1,500-meter run.
• Was selected the Sullivan Award winner in 1967 as the top amateur athlete in the
• Became a
WHO IS HE?
THURSDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• He was in not one, not two, but six Super Bowls.
• He played in all four of Buffalo’s SB appearances.
• He played for Green Bay in XXXI an XXXII.
• He is perhaps best known for being the guy who ran down Leon Lett in SB XXVII and preventing LL from scoring a touchdown.
WHO IS HE?
SPECTRUM RADIO
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 THURSDAY GUEST
DARRYL HOWERTON, NBA writer
It’s time for Sports Spectrum’s favorite NBA writer—Darryl Howerton. A long-time observer of action in the silhouette league, Howerton takes this opportunity to examine some of he recent trades and how he thinks the Suns will do with Shaq and how
