NBA
MAGIC BLASTS PISTONS, LAKERS LEAD 2-0
Orlando 111, Detroit 86
The Detroit Pistons were hit by a double whammy on Thursday in Orlando. First, the Magic sliced through their defense for 111 points after scoring just 72 and 93 in games one and two, and Chauncey Billups went down with a strained hamstring in the first half. The Magic win gives them momentum, and the Billups injury puts doubts in Detroit's head because of his value to the team as its leader. It is not known if he'll be available Saturday for Game 3.
Rashard Lewis paced the Magic with 33 points while another workmanlike performance from Superman, Dwight Howard, resulted in 20 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots.
Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 24 points and Tayshaun Prince added 22.
The Magic raced out to a 30-16 lead, but Detroit chiseled it down to a four-point deficit heading into the final stanza. But with the hometown Amway Arena fans lustily and with Orlando scoring the first 11 points of the quarter, the Magic put the game away early in that quarter.
LA Lakers 120, Utah 110
The LA Lakers continued their cakewalk through the Western Conference playoffs with a decisive win at the Staples Center to go up 2-0 in their showdown with Utah. The Lakers have won all six of their postseason games.
They put this one away early with a 33-18 first quarter advantage that included one string of 13 straight points.
League MVP Kobe Bryant, after accepting the trophy from David Stern and a bouquet of flowers from his wife and children before the game, lit up the Staples Center with 34 points. He grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists, and proved again why he is the league's best.
Deron Williams had 25 points to set the pace for the Jazz, who shot a decent 44 percent. That, however, was no match for the 57 percent the Lakers produced. LA hit 7 of 11 three-point attempts for an amazing 64 percent from downtown.
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
BOSTON VS. CLEVELAND
Game 1: Boston 76, Cleveland 72
Boston leads 1-0
Game 2: Thursday at Boston
DETROIT VS. ORLANDO
Game 1: Detroit 91, Orlando 72
Game 2: Detroit 100, Orlando 93
Game 3: Orlando 111, Detroit 86
Detroit leads 2-1
Game 4: Saturday at Orlando
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. UTAH
Game 1: LA Lakers 109, Utah 98
Game 2: LA Lakers 120, Utah 110
LA leads 2-0
Game 3: Friday at Utah
NEW ORLEANS VS. SAN ANTONIO
Game 1: New Orleans 101, San Antonio 82
Game 2: New Orleans 102, San Antonio 84
New Orleans leads 2-0
Game 3: Thursday at San Antonio
MLB
REDS POWER UP IN WIN OVER CUBS
If you're a fan of the long ball, you should have been at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto and his Reds' teammates clubbed seven home runs off Chicago Cubs pitching to beat the Cubs 9-0.
Votto led off his team's explosive second inning with a solo shot to right. Adam Dunn, Paul Bako, and Jerry Hairston Jr. also went deep against Cubs starter Jon Lieber (2-2) in the second to put five runs on the board.
In the fifth inning, Brandon Philips added a solo shot before Votto made it back-to-back bombs with his second home run of the game.
Then in the sixth inning, Votto hit his third home run of the game. His two-run blast capped the Reds scoring. The Reds seven-home run barrage was the most since 1999.
Reds starter Edinson Volquez (5-1) continued his impressive pitching. Volquez struck out 10 batters in seven innings of work, and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.06.
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Florida 6, Milwaukee 2
Atlanta 5, San Diego 2
New York Mets 12, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Philadelphia 5, Arizona 4
Colorado 4, St. Louis 3
Houston 4, Washington 3
Pittsburgh 3, San Francisco 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Cleveland 3, New York Yankees 0
Detroit 9, Boston 8
Kansas City 9, Los Angeles Angels 4
Minnesota 13, Chicago White Sox 1
Toronto 6, Tampa Bay 2
Texas 2, Seattle 0
Oakland 6, Baltimore 5 - 10 innings
NHL
CONFERENCE FINALS
East
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
Game 1: Friday at Pittsburgh
West
Detroit vs. Dallas
Game 1: Thursday at Detroit
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life -- in the words of an athlete in the news.
TODAY'S FEATURE:
LANCE BERKMAN, first baseman, Houston Astros
BIO NOTE: Lance Berkman is quietly putting together one of those seasons. He already has 11 home runs and is hitting .361. He has an outside shot at reaching 300 home runs by the end of the season. He currently has 270. He needs just 112 RBI to reach 1000 in his 10-year career.
RECENT NEWS: On Wednesday, Berkman had two hits, including his 11th home run, to lead Houston past Washington.
FAITH QUOTE: "Any time you're in a sport that promotes selfish the main thing is to keep a Godly perspective. Not getting so caught up in the success or failure you're having on a personal level, but being more concerned about the about the spiritual well being of yourself and your teammates. Jesus was all about being selfless and looking out for others." -Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NCAA
EARLY COMMITMENTS
Remember being in eighth grade? You hardly knew anything for sure, and real life was so far away you didn't even talk about it. You were still trying to figure out girls (or guys, whichever the case may be), pre-algebra, and what in the world was happening to your voice. Were you ready to pick a college? Billy Gillispie apparently thinks a couple of pre-driver's license kids are ready for that decision. He has wrestled a commitment from two youngsters-one from California, one from Ohio, and both younger than Miley Cyrus. And we know she has trouble with good decisions, even with her parents hanging around. This is a ridiculous intrusion into a kid's life, and it seems to be the kind of thing that will spread the bane of college recruiting to even younger kids. It goes beyond just the decisions these young boys have made, because these verbal commitments aren't binding. It's reaches toward the essence of why these kids are playing. At this age, should swarms of college scouts be hounding them at their games building them up to be some kind of special humans when the youngsters should be allowed to play for fun and socialization at that level? It just seems another way we rush children to be adults when they should just enjoy being teenagers.
MLB
LEE'S CHARGE
Examine a minute Cliff Lee's numbers from 2007, and his amazing start to the 2008 season becomes even more spectacular. Last year Lee started 16 games for the Cleveland Indians. He had a record of 5-8, and his ERA was a mountainous 6.29. He also pitched in three minor league cities in 2007 as he rehabbed from injuries. But before 2007, there was in indication that Lee could be very good. Between 2004 and 2006, he won 46 games for the Indians, but his ERA was not exactly sparkling in those three seasons: 5.43, 3.79, and 4.40. In 2005, Lee finished fifth in Cy Young voting, so it's not as if he just arrived on the major league scene. But he never reminded anyone of Sandy Koufax before, either. So far in 2008, Lee is 6-0 with an ERA of 0.81. He has pitched 44 2/3 innings and has allowed just four earned runs. Sometimes things just begin to fall in place for a pitcher, even though no one saw it coming.
NBA
OFFSEASON PLAYERS GET EARLY START
The NBA has some catching up to do. While NFL players have had since February to get their names on police blotters-and a number have obliged by getting arrested for various "alleged" offenses, NBA players are just getting started. Just three weeks after the season ended, two stars have already found themselves face-to-face with officers of the law. First, Carmelo Anthony, fresh off a four-game sweep by the Lakers and just three weeks after being arrested for drunk driving, has been pulled over again. This time, the Denver forward was apparently sober when he drove 60 in a 45-mph zone. Meanwhile, Richard Jefferson is in trouble for something he is accused of doing last January. He was charged on Wednesday with assaulting a guy at a nightclub a little over three months ago. Let's hope these are the last two NBA players we have to hear about getting into trouble for poor citizenship. There is too much good they could be doing for others to allow poor decisions to cause a dark shadow to cover their offseason activities.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
We are 10 races into the 2008 NASCAR season. On Sunday, Clint Bowyer captured the race at Richmond with Kyle Busch in second and Mark Martin finishing in third. The race to get into the Cup Chase looks like this.
1. Kyle Busch 1,495
2. Jeff Burton 1,477
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,391
4. Clint Bowyer 1,372
5. Kevin Harvick 1,350
6. Denny Hamlin 1,349
7. Jimmy Johnson 1,318
8. Tony Stewart 1,297
9. Greg Biffle 1,269
10. Carl Edwards 1,230
THIS JUST IN
Notes of significance from the Christian sports community
New Book: The Mulligan
By Wally Armstrong
After ending a successful career as a PGA golfer, Wally Armstrong began a venture of teaching golf and of using gold analogies to teach biblical principles. One of his latest ventures is teaching timeless truths through golf is a book called The Mulligan. It's a book that can be used by the Christian for edification, and it can be given to the non-Christian as an outreach tool. Find out more about the book at www.wallyarmstrong.com.
