NBA
THE BEAT GOES ON: ROCKETS AT 20 STRAIGHT
Normally, you cannot win an NBA game when you hit just 33 percent of your shots. Normally, you cannot win when you miss 23 attempts from behind the three-point line. Or when you get just three points off fast breaks. Or when you have just two guys in double figures.
But these are not normal times for the Houston Rockets. These are historic times for Rick Adelman's team. So on Wednesday night the Rockets landed in Atlanta and picked up their 20th straight victory with an 83-75 win over the Hawks.
Tracy McGrady scored 28 of those points and Shane Battier chipped in with 15. And a bunch of other guys you've barely heard of had 7,8,8,6,2, and 7. But it was enough, because when things are going your way, it doesn't seem to matter how you get the win, you just get it.
Josh Smith did his best to prevent losing to the Rockets. He scored 16 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. And Joe Johnson matched McGrady's 28 points. But the Hawks couldn't stop history from happening in their own gym.
The Rockets now own the second-longest winning streak in the NBA's 62 years of existence. They are tied with the Milwaukee Bucks of 1970-71 vintage, who also won 20 straight. While no one much expects the Rockets to make the next jump to 33 (LA Lakers, 1971-72), keep in mind that no one would have ever guessed they could win 20 straight-especially back in January when they were 24-20.
So, the beat goes on. Next up for Houston? Charlotte on Friday in Houston for sole possession of second place in their historic quest. Then the Rockets welcome the Lakers to town on Sunday. But here's the thing. The most important thing on Sunday might not be the streak. The Rockets stand just one game behind the Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Golden State 117, Toronto 106
Denver 108, Memphis 86
Dallas 118, Charlotte 93
New York 91, Miami 88
New Jersey 104, Cleveland 99
New Orleans 100, San Antonio 75
Utah 114, Milwaukee 110
Orlando 110, LA Clippers 88
Boston 111, Seattle 82
Philadelphia 83, Detroit 82
NBA NOTES
* Late season game. The 64th game of the season. Your playoff spot is secure. A team is in town that is the seventh team in the playoffs picture. Could the Detroit Pistons be coasting a little, losing to possible postseason opponent Philadelphia because they are on cruise control? Maybe not, but when Richard Hamilton misses three straight free throws, it would seem that somebody's not paying attention.
* Here's the thing. The New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat by three on Wednesday. True, the teams combined have won 30 games (19 for NY; 11 for Miami). True, they are going nowhere this season. And true, the Knicks, though having more wins, always seem to be a mess. But even with the worst teams in the NBA, of which they are two, these players deserve some admiration. For one thing, they are among the best 350 basketball players in the world. They continue to compete hard-the Heat tried everything to come back and beat the Knicks. And frankly, the players cannot control what kind of team a GM puts on the floor or what kind of injuries rob them of key teammates. Professional athletes deserve better than to be derided and ridiculed if they happen to be on bad teams. They are in a position that most of us love to be in for just one day-and not because of the money.
* David West's ankle is all better. You don't have to be a doctor to figure that out. You just have to look at what he did to the San Antonio Spurs: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 14 for 22 from the floor. The Spurs simply couldn't stop him (or his sidekick Chris Paul).
NHL
WARD SHINES AS HURRICANES TOP BLACKHAWKS
Carolina netminder Cam Ward was stellar between the pipes on Wednesday, to lead the surging Hurricanes to a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ward recorded his sixth NHL shutout when he stopped 25 Chicago shots.
The Hurricanes got all their offense in the first period. Eric Cole and Matt Cullen each scored on power play goals and Eric Staal lit the lamp a few moments later with a backhanded shot past Chicago rookie goalie Corey Crawford.
The Hurricanes have won five straight and eight of their last nine games.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Toronto 3, Philadelphia 2
Florida 4, New York Islanders 2
Pittsburgh 7, Buffalo 3
Anaheim 4, Vancouver 1
Washington 3, Calgary 2
FACTS OF THE DAY
TOP 15 IDITAROD FINISHERS
Total Miles: 1,150
Racer Time (days, hours, minutes)
1. Lance Mackey 9-11-46
2. Jeff King 9-13-5
3. Ramey Smyth 9-18-52
4. Ken Anderson 9-19-11:06
5. Martin Buser 9-19-11:50
6. Hans Gatt 9-20-20
7. Mitch Seavey 9-20-42
8. Paul Gebhardt 9-21-17
9. Kjetil Backen 9-21-25
10. Sebastian Schneuelle 9-22-14
11. Zack Steer 9-22-15
12. Cim Smyth 9-22-24
13. Rick Swenson 9-23-43
14. Jessie Royer 10-1-0
15. DeeDee Jonrowe 10-1-7
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: CAM WARD
BIO NOTE: Cam and Cody Ward will celebrate their second wedding anniversary this summer. At their wedding reception in 2006, the Conn Smyth Trophy (Stanley Cup MVP) was at the head table.
RECENT NEWS: On Wednesday, Ward shut out the Chicago Blackhawks.
FAITH QUOTE: "Before every game I will pray just before I go on the ice. God gave me a special talent, and I will be forever grateful for that. I feel that when I say a prayer, it helps me feel more relaxed and calm."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
BACKUP FOR ELI
Maybe this is what David Carr was cut out to do. What started as a promising NFL career at quarterback hasn't gone well for Carr in recent seasons. But now, after being cut by Carolina, for whom Carr did not pan out as a starter, the Fresno State product will now work for the New York Giants. When he reports to training camp, he'll battle for the backup QB job with Jared Lorenzen and Anthony Wright. If he gets the gig, he'll be the second in command of the offense behind Eli Manning.
NOW BATTING . . .
. . . For the New York Yankees, Billy Crystal. Today is the day Billy Crystal lives every baseball fan's fantasy-to play Major League Baseball. For real. Well, as real as spring training can get. But it's a real spring training game, surrounded by real New York Yankees, and facing real Pittsburgh Pirates. Crystal is still sore at the Pirates for what another small infielder named Bill did to his Yankees back in 1960: Bill Mazeroski hit one of the most famous game-ending home runs in baseball history in the World Series that year. And Crystal has even produced a movie about the 1961 Yankees. So when he steps in to take his cuts for his one at-bat in a MLB game, Billy Crystal will be performing in perhaps his biggest role ever. Imagine how it would feel for BC to line a clean single to right field and stand on first base with a career batting average of 1.000.
ROAD TRIP
Baseball is about to introduce itself to China. More that 30 years after table tennis helped open the doors for Americans in China, the LA Dodgers and the San Diego Padres are about to introduce the masses in the world's most populous country to a new game: "bangqiu." The two teams will face off in two exhibition games in Beijing. On Thursday, the San Diego Padres visited the Great Wall of China. The Dodgers will take in the Wall on Friday. On Friday, the Padres will hold a clinic at a school, and both teams will have their first practice session at Wukesong Stadium. The games will be Saturday and Sunday at 1:07 a.m. Eastern time.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With four races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. Next up for the NASCAR guys: Bristol, Tennessee, and the Food City 500 next Sunday.
Driver | Points | Car No.
1. Kyle Busch 665 18
2. Greg Biffle 592 16
3. Kevin Harvick 574 29
4. Ryan Newman 571 12
5. Jeff Burton 555 31
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 531 88
7. Kasey Kahne 528 9
8. Tony Stewart 525 20
9. Brian Vickers 491 83
10. Kurt Busch 478 2
Other notables:
12. Matt Kenseth
13. Jimmie Johnson
15. Jeff Gordon
18. Mark Martin
32. Dale Jarrett
36. 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
* He's an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, and it's not Ichiro Suzuki.
* He has played for the KC Royals and the M's.
* He has 1,184 hits in his career.
* He knocked in more than 100 runs in both 2006 and 2007.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
WEDNESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* She played college basketball at the University of Virginia.
* She was an assistant coach of the Seattle Storm when they won the WNBA title.
* In 2007 she was named the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON? JENNY BOUCEK
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
CLYDE KING, former manager, San Francisco Giants
Not many people know more people in baseball or more about the game itself than Clyde King. King can converse about the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s, because he played for them. And he can talk about today's players because he has been a manager (San Francisco and Atlanta) and a special advisor for the New York Yankees. But best of all, Clyde King knows Jesus Christ as his Savior, and he'll talk about that relationship as well.
