NBA
CELTICS SETTLE IT; BEST IN THE EAST
They don't get a trophy or anything for it, but the Boston Celtics laid to rest the question of who is the best team in the East on Wednesday. With their 90-78 win over the Detroit Pistons at the TD Banknorth Garden, the Celtics did several things. First, they won the season series from the Pistons 2-1 to grab the advantage in case the two teams' records are even at the end of the season. Second, they became the first NBA team to clinch a playoff berth. And third, they served notice that with a league-best 47-12 mark and an impressive showing they are, at this time, the cream of the NBA East's crop.
The Celtics started strong, ended strong, and held their own in the middle. They outscored the Pistons 23-13 in the first quarter and 21-11 in the fourth. The middle quarters went to the Pistons 54-46.
Kevin Garnett led the way offensively for Boston, scoring 31 points on 13 for 22 shooting. He got help from Rajon Rondo with 16 and Paul Pierce with 15. Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups each had 23 for Detroit, who falls to 44-17 on the season.
Boston outshot Detroit 46 percent to 36 percent and outrebounded the Pistons 50 to 38.
OTHER NBA GAMES
Cleveland 119, New York 105
Orlando 122, Washington 92
Toronto 108, Miami 83
New Orleans 116, Atlanta 101
Milwaukee 118, Seattle 106
Memphis 100, New Jersey 93
Houston 117, Indiana 99
LA Clippers 116, Sacramento 109 (2 OT)
Denver 126, Phoenix 113
Utah 105, Minnesota 76
NBA NOTES
* LeBron James turned in the NBA's 380th 50-point performance in league history on Wednesday. It was James' fifth such foray into that stratified air.
* It appears that the Houston Rockets have a very good basketball team-one that is not built around one very tall superstar. The Rockets won again on Wednesday, and that was their fourth win in a row without Yao Ming, who had surgery on a foot stress fracture. Now Houston has won a franchise record 16th straight wins. Who are these guys? The starting lineup on Wednesday: Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Dikembe Mutombo, Luis Scola, and Rafer Alston. It may not sound like much of a lineup (after McGrady), but Rick Adelman is getting the job done with this crew.
* Is it possible to now say this above a whisper: The Phoenix Suns are not as good a team now as they were with Shawn Marion. They have won just three of the eight games in which Shaquille O'Neal has been a part of the team. Although O'Neal had some impressive numbers: 18 boards and 11 points, the Suns are still giving up points in bushel baskets. The Nuggets hit them up for 126 markers on Wednesday. With the stretch run in full bore, it is a little scary for the Suns to think that perhaps they have shot themselves in the foot with this trade.
NHL
OVECHKIN SCORES ANOTHER PAIR IN WIN OVER SABRES
Alexander Ovechkin is red hot. And because of their star's offensive surge, the Washington Capitals are coming to life too.
On Wednesday, Ovechkin scored his 53rd and 54th goals of the season in a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. That gives Ovechkin five goals in his last two games!
But it's not just the goals that are meaningful to the Caps, each win inches them closer to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Washington is 16-8-3 since the midpoint of the season.
With Wednesday's victory, Washington is now just one point behind the Sabres and two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers who hold the eighth and final playoff spot.
Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig stopped 25 Buffalo shots to earn his 299th career victory.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Chicago 3, Anaheim 0
Phoenix 2, Dallas 1
Detroit 4, St. Louis 1
Carolina 6, Atlanta 3
San Jose 3, Ottawa 2 (OT)
FACTS OF THE DAY
NBA PLAYOFF PICTURE
EAST
Boston 47-12
Detroit 44-17
Orlando 40-23
Cleveland 35-26
Toronto 33-27
Washington 29-31
Philadelphia 28-33
New Jersey 26-35
WEST
San Antonio 42-17
LA Lakers 43-18
New Orleans 41-19
Houston 40-20
Phoenix 40-21
Utah 40-22
Dallas 39-22
Golden State 37-23
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: CHRIS KAMAN, LA CLIPPERS
BIO NOTE: In the past year, Kaman, who as a kid was diagnosed with ADD, has discovered a new way to treat his inability to think as others do, and he has discovered that the medication he took for ADD was probably counterproductive. That has led to a great improvement in his on-court skills because he can now remember the plays better and understand what is going on around him better.
RECENT NEWS: On Wednesday, Kaman scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help LA beat Sacramento.
FAITH QUOTE: "I just trust God a lot. God knows what's going to happen, I really don't. But there's a plan for everything, and I'll find out what it is. I rely on God for everything. It's hard to always pray about every situation. But I know He's there with me even when I think about things. I know He's thinking about them with me."
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
ANOTHER FLIP FOR EDWARDS
Hold that backflip, Carl. NASCAR is flipping your points total. After leading the points standings since Sunday, Edwards woke up on Thursday with 100 fewer points as a result of a problem with his car that was discovered in the post-race inspection. Edwards' crew had left the cover off the oil tank. To those of us who occasionally leave the cover off the gas-fill opening in our cars, that seems like a harmless mistake. However, in NASCAR terms, it's a big deal because in so doing a crew can create a downforce that will give their car an advantage. Whatever advantage Edwards gained is now gone, along with those points.
KJ TO RUN FOR MAYOR
In the 1990s, Sports Spectrum magazine brought NBA star Kevin Johnson to the little town of Belding, Michigan, for what was then the biggest 3 on 3 basketball tournament in the world, the Gus Macker. KJ was there so that on Sunday he could deliver a gospel message to the thousands of players and fans at the tournament. The event took on a rock star feel as Johnson was mobbed at every turn by the fans. We put up an autograph booth, and the crush of the crowd trying to get to KJ was sometimes frightening. Kevin Johnson could use that kind of popularity now. He has decided to run for mayor of Sacramento, his hometown. Johnson has already been hard at work in Sacramento trying to help fix the educational system, and now he's ready to tackle the whole enchilada.
WEINER A WINNER?
Having never heard of Anthony Weiner before, it's hard to make a judgment about the New York Democrat's politics, but on one issue, it seems, he's got it right. Weiner is asking the government to stand down in its ongoing investigation of Roger Clemens. It would seem right to come to the conclusion that there is no compelling reason to keep this whole thing going on the governmental level. Why should the valuable time of government officials be tied up in trying to prove whether Clemens did or didn't lie about a matter that should belong to baseball-and should be handled by baseball? Let's hope reason prevails, baseball fixes its problem, and the government turns its attention to matters of true national importance.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With three races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. Next up for the NASCAR guys: The Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Driver | Points | Hometown
1. Kyle Busch 470 Las Vegas
2. Ryan Newman 450 South Bend, IN
3. Kasey Kahne 444 Enumclaw, WA
4. Kevin Harvick 428 Bakersfield, CA
5. Greg Biffle 427 Vancouver, WA
6. Jeff Burton 421 South Boston, VA
7. Carl Edwards 391 Columbia, MO
8. Martin Truex Jr. 371 Mayetta, NJ
9. Elliott Sadler 368 Emporia, VA
10. Dale Earnhardt. Jr. 261 Kannapolis, NC
Other notables:
11. Tony Stewart
12. Kurt Busch
14. Jimmie Johnson
16. Matt Kenseth
22. Jeff Gordon
38. Sam Hornish Jr.
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.
THURSDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* Longtime NBA center who is noted for blocking shots.
* Noted for his philanthropic work in Africa-especially in the Republic of Congo, where he built a hospital.
* Recently began helping an organization that assists small businesses get loans in Mozambique.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
WEDNESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He pitched in the 2007 World Series and had an ERA of 0.00.
* He and his wife have a foundation that helps people in places like Jamaica.
* He has changed teams over the winter, and now he wears red.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON? JEREMY AFFELDT
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
A Christian athlete who is now officially one year older.
ALISON NICHOLAS
LPGA Golfer, retired
Born: March 6, 1962 in Gibraltar, a tiny British territory with a population of about 28,000.
Nicholas's biggest wins on the golf circuit were the 1987 Weetabix Women's British Open and the 1997 US Women's Open. She played on the various golf tours, including the LPGA, for 20 years.
Currently, Nicholas runs the Alison Nicholas Golf Academy in England, where she lives. Nicholas participates in England with a fine Christian organization called Christians in Sport.
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 THURSDAY GUEST
STEVE PHILLIPS, TV sports director, Knoxville
One person who should know what is going on with the two high-profile basketball programs in Knoxville is Steve Phillips. In his job as a sports director of a TV station in that city, he has a good view of both the women's and men's teams at the University of Tennessee. Which of the two can make it to the Final Four-and what is changing in Knoxville now that the University has a highly successful men's team to go with its successful football team?
