NBA
LAKERS MAKE QUICK WORK OF HEAT
The LA Lakers were in disarray just four months ago. The Miami Heat was poised to make some noise in the Eastern Conference.
What a difference those four months have made. The Lakers have somehow melded into perhaps the best team in the NBA—their record now stands at 41-17, and they could conceivably end up with the league’s top mark. And the Miami Heat has won just 10 times all season, falling to 10-45 with a 106-88 loss to the Lakers on Thursday.
LA outscored the Heat in every quarter, they held Miami to 37 percent shooting, they outrebounded them 55-40, and they blocked 12 Heat shots. Miami showed little signs of life.
Jordan Farmar took his turn as the Lakers’ leading scorer. The fourth guard used by Phil Jackson, Farmar hit four three-pointers and was 9 for 14 from the field. Kobe Bryant added 21 points, and four Lakers were in double figures in rebounding.
Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 18 points. Shawn Marion had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
OTHER NBA GAMES
San Antonio 97, Dallas 94
New Jersey 120, Milwaukee 106
NBA NOTES
• Doesn’t it seem that consistency is the biggest problem with a team like Milwaukee. They can beat Cleveland. They can beat Detroit. But then they lose to New Jersey by a lot. Memo to Milwaukee: Good defense breeds consistency, and giving up 64 first-half points is not good defense.
• The Clippers lost season just got more depressing. Now they don’t have their leader at point guard anymore. Sam Cassell was put on waivers, with speculation hot that he’ll end up in green in Massachusetts. LA needs an infusion of guard talent to go with its strong front line if they want to contend next year when Elton Brand is back.
• There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe Tim Duncan and the uncanny way he controls a game for the San Antonio Spurs. Another typical night for Duncan, who has never been flashy or fancy in his career, as he holds off the Mavs with 31 points and 15 rebounds. He is almost machine-like in his efficiency.
NHL
PENS FALL TO BRUINS; NEWCOMER HOSSA INJURED
Thursday was a bad day for the Pittsburgh Penguins—potentially awful!
Bad News Item No. 1: In his first game in the Penguins sweater, newcomer Marian Hossa injured his knee and sat out the third period. Hossa, the five-time all-star, was the centerpiece of a major trade-deadline deal with the Atlanta Thrashers. His status is uncertain.
Bad News Item No. 2: The Penguins didn’t just lose to the Boston Bruins 5-1—it got ugly.
Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin was pulled after surrendering three goals on just 13 Bruins shots in just over 22 minutes of action. While on the other end of the ice, Boston goalie Tim Thomas turned away 27 Pens shots to give his team the win. Marco Sturm scored a pair of goals for Boston to reach 200 for his NHL career.
Pittsburgh could have taken over the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a win. But as you can see, it just wasn’t that kind of day for the Penguins.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Philadelphia 3, Ottawa 1
Dallas 7, Chicago 4
Edmonton 5, Los Angeles 4
Phoenix
New York Rangers 4, Carolina 2
New York Islanders 5, Atlanta 4 – OT Shootout
FACTS OF THE DAY
10,000-POINT CLUB
Nearly 300 players have scored 10,000 points or more in NBA history. In the past week, two more members joined that club: Michael Redd and LeBron James. Here’s a look at the active NBA players who have scored 10,000 points or more.
Shaquille O’Neal
Allen Iverson
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Garnett
Ray Allen
Tim Duncan
Chris Webber
Dirk Nowitzki
Paul Pierce
Stephon Marbury
Tracy McGrady
Vince Carter
Michael Finley
Antoine Walker
Jerry Stackhouse
Sam Cassell
Juwan Howard
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Jason Kidd
Alonzo Mourning
Eddie Jones
Rasheed Wallace
Antawn Jamison
Grant Hill
Elton Brand
Shawn Marion
Steve Nash
Richard Hamilton
Damon Stoudamire
Mike Bibby
Dikembe Mutombo
Cuttino Mobley
Rashard Lewis
Peja Stojakovic
Jason Terry
Andre Miller
Michael Redd
LeBron James
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE:LORENA OCHOA
BIO NOTE: Ochoa was the top LPGA golfer in both 2006 and 2007.
RECENT NEWS: On Friday at the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament in Singapore, Ochoa shot at 7-under 65 to take a 7-stroke lead into the third round.
FAITH QUOTE: "Before I played every tournament, before I wake up in the morning, I do it all for God. I don't know if there is a word to express it in English, but I want to honor Him,"
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
THE BIG RACE IS ALMOST HERE
The Last Great Race on Earth, as DeeDee Jonrowe calls the Iditarod in her February 29 devotional article in Power Up, begins at 10 am on Saturday, March 1. DeeDee will be starting ninth as the mushers take off on Saturday for their 1,500-mile race across Alaska. Here are the Top 10 racers:
1. G. B. Jones
2. Jake Berkowitz
3. Wayne Curtis
4. Jason Barron
5. Joe Garnie
6. Jessica Hendricks
7. Eric Rogers
8. Hugh Neff
9. DeeDee Jonrowe
10. Lance Mackey
DeeDee recently won the Don Bowers 200. It was the third year in a row that she won this race, a qualifier for the Iditarod.
DEWEY WINS; FAVRE RETIRES
Both headlines got published. Both were wrong. Dewey didn’t beat Truman, and age has yet to defeat Favre. Although the team Web site bore an announcement to the effect that Favre was retiring, it was just Web techie’s error. But with that error, we kick off football’s version of the silly season: Will he or won’t he? Will Brett Favre return for his 18th season as an NFL quarterback, or will he go fishing permanently? Even his team president doesn’t know for sure. So, let the speculation begin!
NO MORE ROAMING
Roaming may be okay with your cell phone, but if you are a major league base coach, your roaming days are over. Major League Baseball has decided that it wants its first and third base coaches to stay inside the rectangular box that is so meticulously laid out for them. No more third base coaches edging toward the batter as if they were about to steal home. They can think and coach “outside the box” after a batted ball has passed them. And, as a result of the death of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh last summer after being hit by a line drive, first and third base coaches will be wearing protective headgear from now on. Both moves are logical moves, and won’t have much of an effect on the game itself.
KNIGHT JOB
“We’ve met the enemy, and he is us.” Pogo’s famous line seems to fit here as Bob Knight crosses the line and joins forces with his former nemesis: Reporters. Now he is one. He has already started his new gig as a college basketball analyst for ESPN by appearing on Mike and Mike in the Morning on Friday, and he will be an on-air voice explaining the intricacies of college basketball for viewers. One can assume that he will be cleaning up his language for public consumption and he will perhaps not have anything to get overly angry about—so, his insights as one of the best basketball minds in the land should be entertaining and informative.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With two races in the books, Kyle Busch leads the Sprint Cup standings. The racers head next to Las Vegas for the UAW-Dodge 400 on Sunday, March 2.
Driver Points Car
1. Kyle Busch 335 Toyota
2. Ryan Newman 329 Dodge
3. Tony Stewart 316 Toyota
4. Kurt Busch 299 Dodge
5. Carl Edwards 296 Ford
6. Kasey Kahne 294 Dodge
7. Kevin Harvick 268 Chevy
8. Jimmie Johnson 267 Chevy
9. Greg Biffle 262 Ford
10.Jeff Burton 261 Chevy
INSIDE SPORTS SPECTRUM
Do you read Sports Spectrum magazine? If you do, you’ll be able to identify the following athlete featured in the March-April edition of the magazine, which is arriving in mailboxes across the country this week.
FRIDAY’S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
• She and her husband are world-class runners.
• She once ran a mile in 4:28.
• She graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology.
• She and her Olympic-bound husband were married in 2005.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
THURSDAY’S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
• Born in the US but grew up in Australia.
• Loved Australia Rules Football but plays a more gentlemanly sport.
• Goes by the nickname Badds.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON? Aaron Baddeley
SPORTS 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 FRIDAY GUEST
JERRY TERRELL, former major league infielder
Want an inside look at spring training? Join Jerry Terrell as he talks about what it’s like for a young kid who is trying to make a major league roster. Terrell used to be there—each year working hard to make sure that he could make the team. Spring training—a hectic time for many youngsters who would like a shot at the Big Show.
