NBA
PISTONS CRUISE PAST STRUGGLING SUNS
UH-OH. Could the Phoenix Suns have made a major miscalculation? Is it possible that trading off Shawn Marion in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal has decreased the effectiveness of the team?
Or is it just going to take Shaq a little longer to work into the system?
If Sunday’s game with the Detroit Pistons is any indication, it’ll be a while before that happens. The Pistons manhandled the Suns 116-86 on Phoenix’ home court as Rasheed Wallace seem unperturbed by the presence of the Big Newcomer in the middle for the Suns. Wallace scored 22 points in just 26 minutes and grabbed eight rebounds. The Pistons outrebounded the Suns 48-32, with Antonio McDyess doing much of the damage with 13. Six Pistons hit double figures in scoring.
Meanwhile, the Suns struggled offensively. They hit just 41 percent of their shots while Detroit hit 52 percent of theirs, including 9 for 18 from behind the arc. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 31 points. Leandro Barbosa had 18. Former Piston Grant Hill was scoreless for Phoenix.
The Pistons are now 41-15 on the season while Phoenix fell to 38-18, including 1-2 with Shaquille O’Neal in the lineup.
OTHER NBA GAMES
Cleveland 109, Memphis 89
Orlando 112, Sacramento 93
Boston 112, Portland 102
Toronto 115, New York 92
Dallas 99, Minnesota 83
Houston 110, Chicago 97
LA Lakers 111, Seattle 91
NBA NOTES
• In his third game with the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd did just what his coach got him for. He handed out 17 assists, which ties his season high. Avery Johnson must think he’s looking in a mirror.
• It was just the Memphis Grizzlies, who have won all of 14 games this season, but the Cleveland Cavaliers still got a glimpse of what newcomers Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak can do for them. Wallace had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Szczerbiak had 10 points, including a couple of three-pointers as Cleveland cruised past the Grizz.
• With his team up 31 points, Kobe Bryant must have figured he could take the rest of the night off, so he mouthed off to referee Brian Forte, who exiled Bryant from the court at Seattle’s Key Arena with four minutes to go in the third period. The Lakers still won by 20 points. LA has the best record in the West at 39-17.
NHL
SELANNE REACHES MILESTONES IN DUCKS VICTORY
It wasn’t billed as such, but it certainly turned out to be Teemu Selanne Day at the Honda Center on Sunday! The veteran superstar scored three goals, and assisted on two others to reach a pair of career milestones. Not only that, he led his team to a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Selanne’s hat trick moved him into 25th on the NHL’s all-time list—ahead of Maurice “Rocket” Richard—with 546 goals in his career. It was the 20th time the former Winnipeg Jets star recorded a hat trick. Selanne also recorded another career milestone as he notched his 600th career assist!
The impact that Selanne has made for the Ducks since his return from contemplating retirement early in the season is nothing short of incredible. The defending Stanley Cup Champions are 9-1-0 since Selanne’s return.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Calgary 2, Minnesota 1
New York Rangers 5, Florida 0
Phoenix
Edmonton 3, Colorado 2
San Jose 2, Pittsburgh 1
New Jersey 2, Washington 1 – OT Shootout
FACTS OF THE DAY
MIAMI’S WINS
The Miami Heat has been suiting up and playing games since November 1, and they’ve won nine games. Let’s take a look at those victories.
November 11 Miami 75, New York 72
November 17 Miami 91, New Jersey 87
November 23 Miami 98, Houston 91
November 27 Miami 110, Charlotte 90
December 9 Miami 100, LA Clippers 94
December 10 Miami 117, Phoenix 113
December 17 Miami 91, Minnesota 87
December 22 Miami 104, Utah 102
January 26 Miami 98, Indiana 96
Next game: February 26 vs. Sacramento
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: ANGELA STANFORD, LPGA golfer
BIO NOTE: Stanford graduated from Texas Christian in 2000 with a degree in speech communication.
RECENT NEWS: Stanford finished tied for seventh in the Fields Open tournament on Sunday. She shot at 10-under 206, six strokes behind winner Paula Creamer.
FAITH QUOTE: "That’s the way Christians are, always pulling for each other. You can really get up and down with your scores, but Christians have the advantage because we can see the big picture and don’t get in a rut."
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
MONDAY RACING
The Auto Club 500 became the Auto Club 174 on Sunday, with the remaining
FIRST AND LAST?
Could the first game of spring training be against two teams who will end up being the last to play in October? The possibility is there. The New York Mets take on the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday to open spring training action—and both teams have an eye on playing late into the postseason.
LIDGE DOWN FOR PHILS
Brad Lidge threw one pitch of batting practice on Saturday, and it will cost him the rest of spring training. He caught a cleat and damaged his right knee. He’s expected to have arthroscopic surgery Monday, and if all goes well, the Phillies’ closer should be good to go in 3 to 6 weeks. The Phillies play their first regular season game five weeks from Monday, so it’s kind of tight as to whether the Phils’ new guy will be available to close when the season opens. Lidge joined the Phillies in November in a trade from Houston.
HOOSIERS MOVE ON
The Kelvin Sampson Era at Indiana ended with a whimper. After he was caught violating NCAA rules—again—about calling recruits, he had not choice but to resign and preserve the integrity of Indiana University. His stay at Indiana was supposed to represent a return to greatness, but it will be remembered for the ignominy of a coach who couldn’t resist bending recruiting rules. Recognized by everyone as an outstanding basketball coach, Sampson couldn’t find it in his heart to stick to his coaching skills and his ability to recruit players within accepted standards. Now Indiana again looks for that hard-to-find combination of a great coach with high morals. Currently, the Hoosiers are being coached by Dan Dakich, who played basketball for Indiana during the Bob Knight reign. His former head-coaching experience was at Mid-American Conference Bowling Green. Now the Hoosiers look ahead, no longer saddled with the extra baggage Kelvin Sampson brought with him to Bloomington.
WHO IS HE?
Testing your knowledge of past sports stars—taken from “Legends” articles from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine
FRIDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• Played for the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Minnesota Vikings.
• Was named to the Pro Bowl four times in his career.
• Played in the 1999 AFC championship game for the Jags.
• Played in the 2000 NFC championship game for the Vikings.
• After his playing days were over, coached briefly for his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa.
WHO IS HE? Bryce Paup
MONDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• Spent 17 years as a successful major league outfielder.
• Pounded out 2,375 hits during his career.
• Finished with a .290 career batting average.
• Had the end of his career interrupted by a bout with cancer, but he came back to play again.
• Currently managing in the minor leagues for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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 MONDAY GUEST
RON WOLFLEY, former running back, Arizona Cardinals
What’s going to happen to the Arizona Cardinals next season? They finished 8-
