NBA
CELTICS "STREAK" PAST ROCKETS
Although the Houston Rockets again held their opponent under 100 points-one of the many traits of the winning streak-the Boston Celtics were able to gain momentum with an 18-5 third-quarter run to snap the Rockets' 22-game string 94-74.
The teams were tied at 40-40 at the half, but the Celtics outscored Houston 32-16 in the third stanza to open up an insurmountable lead. It was the Celtics' defense that made the difference, as they shut down Tracy McGrady, who managed just eight points, and Shane Battier had just four. Luis Scola led the Rockets with 15.
Meanwhile, Boston had three players at 20 or better: Kevin Garnett had 22, Leon Powe had 21, and Paul Pierce scored 20.
With the win, Boston improved their league-best record to 54-13 while Houston slipped to 46-21. This was the Rockets' first loss since January 27.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Detroit 136, Denver 120
Phoenix 111, Portland 98
Sacramento 122, Golden State 105
LA Lakers 102, Dallas 100
Chicago 112, New Jersey 96
Miami 112, Milwaukee 106
NBA NOTES
* Milwaukee may not be the worst team in the league (they've won 23 games) but they are among the most disappointing. The Bucks were active in the offseason and they have a couple of high-draft-pick players to build around, but they are incredibly inconsistent. On Tuesday, they gave up 40 points in the fourth quarter to the 12-54 Miami Heat to lose at home. Larry Krystkowiak must be feeling some "heat" of his own.
* The D in Denver definitely does not stand for "defense." Here's hoping they didn't have to go anywhere after the game on Tuesday, because they couldn't stop a taxi. Detroit hit 60 percent of its shots (including 60 percent from downtown) against Denver. And Denver itself didn't fare much worse-hitting 56 percent. Overall, this matchup had the pace of an NBA All-Star Game rather than a regular season contest.
NHL
FLYERS BEAT THRASHERS; HOLD ONTO PLAYOFF SPOT
The Philadelphia Flyers made some changes on Tuesday night. They actually got a win!
After a stretch that saw the Flyers go 5-11-5, Philadelphia got a strong offensive performance to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2. Philadelphia fired 47 shots on goal, with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Vaclav Prospal netting goals.
Philadelphia goalie Antero Niittymaki allowed an Atlanta goal in the game's first minute, then tightened up to earn the win.
Atlanta's scoring machine Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 50th goal of the season in defeat.
Philadelphia held onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Washington 4, Nashville 2
Toronto 3, New York Islanders 1
New York Rangers 5, Pittsburgh 2
Columbus 3, Calgary 0
Edmonton 8, Phoenix 4
San Jose 2, Los Angeles 1
St. Louis 4, Montreal 3 - OT Shootout
FACT OF THE DAY
NBA CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST
Boston 54-13
Detroit 49-18
Orlando 45-24
Cleveland 38-30
Toronto 34-33
Washington 33-33
Philadelphia 33-34
Atlanta 28-38
Still hoping
New Jersey 28-39
Chicago 27-40
Indiana 26-41
WEST
Houston 46-21
LA Lakers 46-21
New Orleans 45-21
Utah 45-24
Phoenix 45-22
San Antonio 44-23
Dallas 44-24
Golden State 41-25
Still hoping
Denver 40-27
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: SYLVIA HATCHELL, women's hoops coach, North Carolina
BIO NOTE: Hatchell has already been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She has won more than 700 games at the D-I level
RECENT NEWS: On Sunday, Hatchell's Tar Heels were awarded the No. 1 seed in the New Orleans regional. They will play Bucknell in Round 1.
FAITH QUOTE: "We have Christian principles as a part of our program. As a coach, you're in so many character-building situations, so it's something that has to come out every day. You can be extremely competitive and be a Christian. For some people, that's hard to understand."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
THE BIG MATCHUP IS STILL ON
As you scribbled in Mount St. Mary's on your brackets last night, you probably noticed that your dream matchup is still possible. Yes, your brackets aren't busted if you picked Mount St. Mary's to play St. Mary's in the finals. Of course, the odds of that happening are about the same as the odds of the evolutionary concept of life springing from non-life in the primordial ooze. But just in case, it's good to know the differences between the two schools-besides the fact that Mount St. Mary's is a 16-seed and plays North Carolina in Round 1 after beating Coppin State on Tuesday 69-60 and St. Mary's is a 10th seed that will take on the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes. One difference is that some people not connected with St. Mary's are picking them to upset their higher seeded opponent. Nobody outside of the MSM program expects the Mountaineers to scale Mount Hansbrough and beat the Tar Heels. Other differences: MSM is located in Baltimore. St. Mary's is located in Moraga, California. MSM has an enrollment of around 1,500, which makes it about the size of Moody Bible Institute or Colorado Christian University. St. Mary's has about 4,700 students. Mount St. Mary's has a record of 19-14 while St. Mary's is 25-6. And one more note: Mount St. Mary's is the second oldest Catholic university in the country, and St. Mary's of California is a school founded on the Lasallian Heritage and is also a Catholic college. They won't meet in this tournament, but at least now we know who they are.
COLLUSION?
Now, there's a word we haven't heard in a long time in major league baseball: collusion. It happened once when owners were trying to hold the line on free-agent prices, and they got together and decided not to go after guys like Kirk Gibson. The players responded by suing the owners, and they won even more money than they would have received had free-agency taken its course. That was this then, this is Bonds, Barry Bonds. Nobody has offered the indicted slugger a contract, so the player's association wants to know if the owners all got on a conference call and decided not to let Barry play. Collusion is probably not the answer here, but wisdom might be. Owners-who don't want the daily distraction and disruption of having not only Bonds but also dozens of extra reporters and cameras and microphones documenting every move he makes-have decided to skip this opportunity. Frankly, who want to pay millions and millions of dollars for that kind of a hassle? Collusion? We can't know for sure, but we're thinking this isn't the problem. Perhaps it is just a simple matter of owners realizing they have a baseball team to run, not a circus.
CLASSY
What the New York Yankees did on Tuesday is a classic example of how sports can serve a meaningful role in society. The Yankees traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia, to visit the campus of Virginia Tech University. While there, the Yankees toured the 32 stone memorials that have been placed on campus to honor the victims of last April's shooting rampage at Tech. The Yankees' organization took a special interest in the school after the tragedy, and George Steinbrenner donated $1 million for the memorials and other items related to the healing needed for the Tech students and faculty. After paying homage to the fallen, the Yankees suited up and played the Hokies' baseball team. The Yanks won 11-0, but it was the still-grieving kids from Virginia Tech who really won on Tuesday.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With five races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. Next up for the NASCAR guys: Martinsville's half-mile track in Martinsville, Virginia and the Goody's Cool Orange 500. The NASCAR circuit, as is tradition, takes Easter weekend off. Good for NASCAR.
Driver | Points | 2007 finish
1. Kyle Busch 782 5
2. Greg Biffle 752 14
3. Kevin Harvick 749 10
4. Jeff Burton 745 8
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 686 16
6. Kasey Kahne 674 19
7. Tony Stewart 656 6
8. Ryan Newman 635 13
9. Clint Bowyer 606 3
10. Kurt Busch 605 7
Other notables:
Matt Kenseth 11th
Jeff Gordon 14th
Carl Edwards 16th
Sam Hornish Jr. 35th
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.
WEDNESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He's a former PGA golfer.
* He played in more than 300 tournaments.
* He is known today for his teaching books and videos.
* He has recently written a new book called The Mulligan.
WHO IS THIS PERSON?
TUESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He played for the World Champion 1999 New York Yankees.
* He was named in the Mitchell Report.
* He nearly let his use of PEDs lead to his demise. He contemplated suicide after what they did to him.
* He trusted Jesus Christ as Savior after that and is now a pastor with a wife and two little boys.
WHO IS THIS PERSON? DAN NAULTY
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 WEDNESDAY GUEST
RITCHIE MCKAY, men's basketball coach, Liberty University
Ritchie McKay does not work for Rand McNally, but he could probably draw some pretty good maps. He has been, as Johnny Cash's song says, 'Everywhere, man.' " He's been to Oregon State, New Mexico, and Colorado. He's been to Portland State, you see, and now Liberty. He talks about what that can do to a family. Listen in to a veteran coach discuss how faith and sports collide in his life.
