NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Lamar Odom(notes) cruised into the lane on a fast break, put the ball behind his back and then bounced a finger roll off the back rim. Unfazed, he jumped to jam home the rebound.
The sequence sent Lakers teammates into giggling fits while New Orleans coach Monty Williams disgustedly called a timeout.
“It’s funny that a play like that happens in New Orleans,” Odom said. “Basketball is almost like jazz, right? Because if you make one move, you can take it to another move, but you never know which way it’s going.”
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The looks of anger and frustration that characterized Los Angeles’ recent three-game skid were history. A commanding 103-88 victory over the Hornets brought back the fun of the game—perhaps more so for Odom than anyone, even though he found himself out of the starting lineup for the first time all season.
Coach Phil Jackson started Andrew Bynum(notes) in Odom’s place.
“Some people could have took that personally,” Odom said. “It didn’t matter to me, honestly.”
Odom responded to his season debut as a reserve by scoring a team-leading 24 points, the most by a Lakers player coming off the bench since Tierre Brown had 27 in February 2005.
Odom hit from a wide range of spots, even draining a casual, too-easy-looking 3-pointer as the horn sounded to end the third quarter.
Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 20 points, Bynum had 18 and Pau Gasol(notes) added 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Lakers snapped out a funk in which they had lost by 15 or more points in their previous three games.
“We played much better. We executed much better. Our defense did an excellent job,” Bryant said. “Drew makes a big difference plugging up the middle, rebounding. He’s moving better. … He seems to be more stable, more active.”
Odom had started all 31 of the Lakers’ previous games. Bynum, who had played a reserve role in his first seven games since returning from knee surgery, started for the first time this season.
“We had three loses, so we might as well do it now if we are going to do it,” Jackson said.
The Lakers’ lineup shift produced a dominant performance in New Orleans, where the Hornets had been 13-3 coming in.
Chris Paul(notes) had 20 points and Marco Belinelli(notes) scored 15 for the Hornets, who lost their second straight by double digits after falling 113-98 at Minnesota two nights earlier.
“One day we’re playing well and everybody is getting it going and the next day we could be somebody’s little brother,” Hornets forward Trevor Ariza(notes) said. “If we want to win and do something in this league, we can’t be like that. … We played really soft today. That’s the bottom line.”
It didn’t help that David West(notes) twisted his left ankle late in the first half. He tried to play through it, but finished with only eight points in 28 minutes.
Los Angeles led by 20 late in the second quarter and stayed ahead by at least 20 for significant stretches of the second half. The Lakers shot 58.6 percent (41 of 70) for the game. Los Angeles also finished with a whopping 44-24 advantage in rebounds, and the Hornets’ seven rebounds in the first half tied a Lakers all-time opponent-low for a half.
“We were overwhelmed,” Williams said. “They are a great team and hit a lot of tough shots.”
Energized by a boisterous, sellout crowd, the Hornets started respectably. Paul had 11 of his points in the first quarter to keep the game close. Gasol’s 13-foot jumper gave the Lakers a 26-23 lead at the end of the period.
New Orleans started to unravel early in the second quarter with primarily reserves on the court.
Odom’s layup as he was fouled ignited an 11-0 spurt during which Matt Barnes(notes) and Derek Fisher(notes) hit-back-to-back 3s before Fisher added a 22-foot jumper to push the Lakers’ lead to 46-29.
Notes: Barnes was ejected by official Scott Foster for arguing a foul call with less than a minute to go in the game. … Announced attendance was 18,018, the Hornets’ largest home crowd of the season. … The crowd included Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, who is from New Orleans, and members of the Arkansas football team, who will play in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Favre to start last game if he can, but Webb ready
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Brett Favre(notes) must receive medical clearance to play in Minnesota’s final game.
But rookie quarterback Joe Webb(notes) sure passed the test in his first career start for the Vikings.
While Favre watched from the sideline because of post-concussion symptoms, Webb helped Minnesota upset playoff-bound Philadelphia on Tuesday. The sixth-round draft pick from Alabama-Birmingham completed 17 of 26 passes for 195 yards and also ran for 31 yards and a touchdown, without any turnovers.
Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier said Favre will start Sunday against Detroit if he can participate.
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“We’d love to see him play,” Frazier said Wednesday. “It’s really not a hard decision for me. Brett is a terrific player. We feel very comfortable when he’s on the field that we have a great chance to win, so you always want to put the guy out there who is going to give you the best chance to win. If Brett is healthy I think our entire team feels very confident that we have a great chance to win when he’s the starting quarterback.”
Frazier praised Webb for his poise down the stretch against the Eagles, including a critical third-and-11 completion to Percy Harvin(notes) with less than 8 1/2 minutes left to put the Vikings in position for a touchdown that stretched their lead to 10 points.
“Everyone kept telling me they’ve got my back,” Webb said after the game, adding: “I just wanted to make sure, first, I took care of the ball and put my team in place to win.”
Webb said he won’t worry about whether he’ll get another start.
“I’m just playing my game and just having fun with it,” he said. “Whatever coach wants to do with me, that’s his decision. All I can do is play and perform to the best of my ability.”
Webb credited Favre for giving him valuable advice on the sideline and seemed to have a grasp of the situation this week—that one of the sport’s all-time greats is on the verge of playing his last game.
“If he wants to play, he can play,” Webb said. “He’s Brett Favre.”
The Vikings didn’t practice Wednesday, but they issued an injury report that said Favre would not have participated. Frazier said the 41-year-old hasn’t taken concussion tests in “three or four” days, but might give them another go Thursday. Last year, the NFL issued stricter return-to-play standards regarding head injuries.
“You’re trying to get a gauge of how close he is to what he was before,” Frazier said. “And then after that you’ve got to be able to find out if the guy can exercise without symptom. You’ve got to put him through a few different drills just to find out if he’s headache-free, he’s not experiencing dizziness or nausea or some of the things that you sometimes get when you have a guy that was concussed.”
Frazier said the team’s medical staff has told him there are no concerns about Favre’s shoulder, neck or hand, the injury that kept him out of the Dec. 13 game against the New York Giants and ended his NFL-record streak of 297 straight regular-season starts.
“He’s a very competitive guy, as we all know,” Frazier said. “I approached him last night in pregame. We were watching the offense warm up and I said, ‘Hey, I know those competitive juices are flowing, aren’t they?’ He started laughing and said, ‘Yes they are.’ And that’s not going to change. It’s just a matter of if he can physically do it or not. He’d like to finish on the football field as opposed to watching. That’s just who he is.”
As for Webb, the Vikings and their fans would enjoy another chance to watch him play before the season is over, too. He’s the only quarterback currently on the roster under contract beyond this year, and his status—he was originally slated to play wide receiver—will be one of many intriguing offseason storylines for this unsettled franchise.
“He has a high ceiling,” Frazier said. “He’s a tremendous athlete, a guy who’s very charismatic. Players really rally behind Joe. They have a lot of confidence in his abilities. Although he’s a very young player, they really believe in him and it’s been that way all along.”
The Lions game is approaching quickly, with the Vikings experiencing another out-of-the-ordinary week in a season full of them following the postponement of their game in Philadelphia because of a snowstorm.
The Vikings (6-9) put constant pressure on Michael Vick(notes) and touted Frazier, their aspiring permanent head coach, with perhaps their best performance of the season. Frazier said he expects to speak with lead owner Zygi Wilf and team president Mark Wilf soon about his status. He got a congratulatory phone call from them after the game.
“They were really pleased with the way our players played and the effort that they gave, and they were very complimentary,” Frazier said.
Notes: Frazier said RB Adrian Peterson will be watched closely this week after hurting his knee but finishing the game Tuesday. … Favre won’t be the only player subject to post-concussion testing this week. WR Sidney Rice(notes) and backup LB Erin Henderson(notes) also had concussions against the Eagles. FS Madieu Williams(notes) is still recovering from his from the week before.
But rookie quarterback Joe Webb(notes) sure passed the test in his first career start for the Vikings.
While Favre watched from the sideline because of post-concussion symptoms, Webb helped Minnesota upset playoff-bound Philadelphia on Tuesday. The sixth-round draft pick from Alabama-Birmingham completed 17 of 26 passes for 195 yards and also ran for 31 yards and a touchdown, without any turnovers.
Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier said Favre will start Sunday against Detroit if he can participate.
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“We’d love to see him play,” Frazier said Wednesday. “It’s really not a hard decision for me. Brett is a terrific player. We feel very comfortable when he’s on the field that we have a great chance to win, so you always want to put the guy out there who is going to give you the best chance to win. If Brett is healthy I think our entire team feels very confident that we have a great chance to win when he’s the starting quarterback.”
Frazier praised Webb for his poise down the stretch against the Eagles, including a critical third-and-11 completion to Percy Harvin(notes) with less than 8 1/2 minutes left to put the Vikings in position for a touchdown that stretched their lead to 10 points.
“Everyone kept telling me they’ve got my back,” Webb said after the game, adding: “I just wanted to make sure, first, I took care of the ball and put my team in place to win.”
Webb said he won’t worry about whether he’ll get another start.
“I’m just playing my game and just having fun with it,” he said. “Whatever coach wants to do with me, that’s his decision. All I can do is play and perform to the best of my ability.”
Webb credited Favre for giving him valuable advice on the sideline and seemed to have a grasp of the situation this week—that one of the sport’s all-time greats is on the verge of playing his last game.
“If he wants to play, he can play,” Webb said. “He’s Brett Favre.”
The Vikings didn’t practice Wednesday, but they issued an injury report that said Favre would not have participated. Frazier said the 41-year-old hasn’t taken concussion tests in “three or four” days, but might give them another go Thursday. Last year, the NFL issued stricter return-to-play standards regarding head injuries.
“You’re trying to get a gauge of how close he is to what he was before,” Frazier said. “And then after that you’ve got to be able to find out if the guy can exercise without symptom. You’ve got to put him through a few different drills just to find out if he’s headache-free, he’s not experiencing dizziness or nausea or some of the things that you sometimes get when you have a guy that was concussed.”
Frazier said the team’s medical staff has told him there are no concerns about Favre’s shoulder, neck or hand, the injury that kept him out of the Dec. 13 game against the New York Giants and ended his NFL-record streak of 297 straight regular-season starts.
“He’s a very competitive guy, as we all know,” Frazier said. “I approached him last night in pregame. We were watching the offense warm up and I said, ‘Hey, I know those competitive juices are flowing, aren’t they?’ He started laughing and said, ‘Yes they are.’ And that’s not going to change. It’s just a matter of if he can physically do it or not. He’d like to finish on the football field as opposed to watching. That’s just who he is.”
As for Webb, the Vikings and their fans would enjoy another chance to watch him play before the season is over, too. He’s the only quarterback currently on the roster under contract beyond this year, and his status—he was originally slated to play wide receiver—will be one of many intriguing offseason storylines for this unsettled franchise.
“He has a high ceiling,” Frazier said. “He’s a tremendous athlete, a guy who’s very charismatic. Players really rally behind Joe. They have a lot of confidence in his abilities. Although he’s a very young player, they really believe in him and it’s been that way all along.”
The Lions game is approaching quickly, with the Vikings experiencing another out-of-the-ordinary week in a season full of them following the postponement of their game in Philadelphia because of a snowstorm.
The Vikings (6-9) put constant pressure on Michael Vick(notes) and touted Frazier, their aspiring permanent head coach, with perhaps their best performance of the season. Frazier said he expects to speak with lead owner Zygi Wilf and team president Mark Wilf soon about his status. He got a congratulatory phone call from them after the game.
“They were really pleased with the way our players played and the effort that they gave, and they were very complimentary,” Frazier said.
Notes: Frazier said RB Adrian Peterson will be watched closely this week after hurting his knee but finishing the game Tuesday. … Favre won’t be the only player subject to post-concussion testing this week. WR Sidney Rice(notes) and backup LB Erin Henderson(notes) also had concussions against the Eagles. FS Madieu Williams(notes) is still recovering from his from the week before.
NCAA rebuts critics of Ohio St, Auburn rulings
The NCAA defended its recent rulings in violations cases involving Ohio State and Auburn, saying it does not play favorites or make decisions based on financial considerations.
The NCAA posted a statement on its website Wednesday responding to critics. It says “the notion that the NCAA is selective with its eligibility decisions and rules enforcement is another myth with no basis in fact.
“Money is not a motivator or factor as to why one school would get a particular decision versus another. Any insinuation that revenue from bowl games in particular would influence NCAA decisions is absurd, because schools and conferences receive that revenue, not the NCAA.”
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Last week, the NCAA suspended five Ohio State players for five games next season for selling their championship rings, trophies and other memorabilia items, but is allowing them to play in the upcoming Sugar Bowl.
Before the NCAA handed down its penalties, Ohio State officials informed Sugar Bowl organizers that the school was lobbying for the players to be eligible for the Jan. 4 game.
Sugar Bowl executive director Paul Hoolahan told The Columbus Dispatch that he encouraged Ohio State officials to push for the players to be allowed to play against Arkansas.
“I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year’s game, we would greatly appreciate it,” Hoolahan was quoted was saying in Wednesday’s editions of the newspaper. “That appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I’m extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution.”
Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long told the AP he had no problem with Hoolahan looking out for the Sugar Bowl.
“He’s the leader of the Sugar Bowl and probably needs to do that,” Long said. “I also don’t think that his lobbying, so to speak, would carry a whole lot of weight with the NCAA when they make their decisions. I don’t mean that with any disrespect to Paul Hoolahan, but I would be surprised if the NCAA took that into consideration when making their decision.”
Last month, the NCAA did not punish Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, even though it ruled his father had solicited money from Mississippi State while that school was recruiting his son.
In the Ohio State case, the NCAA said players—including quarterback Terrelle Pryor and three other starters—had been inadequately educated about the rules and that was a mitigating factor in the case. The NCAA reiterated that point in its statement Wednesday.
It also said bowl games, the postseason and NCAA championships are evaluated differently when determining a student-athletes’ punishment.
“This policy was developed and implemented by the Division I membership, specifically the Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement and approved by the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, in 2004,” the statement said.
In the Newton case, the Heisman Trophy winner was allowed to continue playing because there was no evidence that he or Auburn knew about Cecil Newton’s attempts to get Mississippi State to pay $180,000 for his son’s commitment out of junior college.
The NCAA said Wednesday that efforts are being made to strengthen rules “when benefits or money are solicited (but not received).”
“Put simply, had Cam Newton’s father or a third party actually received money or benefits for his recruitment, Cam Newton would have been declared ineligible regardless of his lack of knowledge,” the NCAA said.
Wade scores 45 in Heat’s 125-119 win over Rockets
HOUSTON (AP)—Dwyane Wade(notes) left Houston with a bloody lip and a new season high in points.
Wade scored 45 points and the Miami Heat extended their road winning streak to 10 games with a 125-119 win over the Rockets on Wednesday.
The Heat set a franchise record with their 10th road win of the month and became the first team in NBA history to win 10 consecutive road games in a calendar month.
Houston point guard Aaron Brooks(notes) smacked Wade in the face on a fast break early in the fourth quarter, and Wade crumpled to the floor. He stayed face-down on the floor for several seconds, but eventually got up and walked to bench with a towel covering a cut on his upper lip.
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He needed stitches to close the cut after the game, but didn’t seem angry with Brooks.
“It doesn’t feel that nice, but it’s just a part of the game and hard fouls are a part of basketball,” Wade said. “Unfortunately, I had to get stitches, but it’s fine.
“You’ve got to know the player,” Wade said, “and Aaron Brooks is a good guy and not a dirty player.”
Brooks was whistled for a flagrant foul and hoped to avoid a fine from the NBA.
“Stuff like that happens,” Brooks said. “I’m not a vicious player, I wasn’t trying to hurt him. It was a bad attempt at the ball—but it was definitely an attempt at the ball.
“He’s got a bloody lip, but that’s basketball,” Brooks said. “We all have bloody lips, at times.”
Wade played the final 10 minutes with a bandage covering the cut, and it didn’t faze him at all.
About two minutes after the hit, Wade drove into Brad Miller(notes), hit an awkward layup and converted another three-point play to push the Heat’s lead to 100-93.
“For the majority of athletes, when they get angry, they lose their focus, composure and poise,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But he’s one of the few that the exact opposite happens. He was angry after that hit, and he was bleeding. But you could see, after that point, an absolute laser focus and poise, and he didn’t let his anger get the best of him.”
Wade hit 17 of 24 shots, went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and pulled down seven rebounds one night after scoring 40 points in a 106-98 win over the New York Knicks.
He reached 45 points for the eighth time, and hit 40 points on consecutive nights for the first time in his career.
LeBron James(notes) scored 20 points and had nine assists and Chris Bosh(notes) scored 21 points for the Heat, who set a franchise record with their 15th win in December.
The Heat have won 16 of their past 17 overall. The Rockets were the first opponent to reach 100 points in that span.
“We’re just a different team now,” James said. “We go out and understand that no matter what the course of the game may bring, we can always will ourselves to win, get enough stops, and make enough plays to win a basketball game.”
Luis Scola(notes) scored 22 points, Kevin Martin(notes) had 21 and Brooks added 20 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who had an eight-game home winning streak snapped.
“We weren’t as sharp as we wanted to be,” Martin said. “But we got beat by five points by a pretty good team. It was a good test of where we’re at right now and we are still confident.”
Houston closed the deficit to four with about six minutes left, but Mario Chalmers(notes) made a 3 and James hit a pull-up jumper to extend the lead again.
Wade then swatted the ball away from Scola, and finished a fast break with a layup to reach 40 points for the second straight game. He slipped past Scola for another layup on the Heat’s next trip, got fouled by Jordan Hill(notes) and hit the free throw for a 115-105 lead.
Joel Anthony(notes) clinched it for Miami with four free throws in the final 34 seconds.
Miami shot 58 percent from the field (43 of 74), but couldn’t shake the Rockets, who scored 62 points in the first half, a season high for a Miami opponent.
“This was a tough game for us,” Wade said. “We gave up 119 points, and that’s not Miami ball. Houston played unbelievable.”
Wade scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the quarter, and Miami led 35-28. James had only six points in the first quarter, but had six assists.
With James and Wade on the bench, Houston scored on its first four possessions of the second quarter to pull even at 37. Bosh scored the next five points to move Miami ahead again.
Brooks set a fast tempo and the Rockets scored 34 points in the second quarter to take a 62-59 lead to the break. Brooks had 12 points and five assists in the half, and Chuck Hayes(notes) added nine points with six rebounds.
Lowry and Martin opened the second half with 3-pointers to stretch Houston’s lead to seven. The Rockets hit 7 of their first 11 shots out of halftime and hit 80 points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third. The Heat came in giving up only 91 points per game.
James swished a pair of jumpers and James Jones(notes) hit a pull-up 3-pointer during a 14-4 Miami spurt and the Heat surged to an 88-84 lead. Miami hit 12 of 18 shots in the third quarter.
Notes: Wade has a steal in 11 consecutive games. … Martin has scored at least 20 points in seven straight games. … Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Texans Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford attended the game.
Wade scored 45 points and the Miami Heat extended their road winning streak to 10 games with a 125-119 win over the Rockets on Wednesday.
The Heat set a franchise record with their 10th road win of the month and became the first team in NBA history to win 10 consecutive road games in a calendar month.
Houston point guard Aaron Brooks(notes) smacked Wade in the face on a fast break early in the fourth quarter, and Wade crumpled to the floor. He stayed face-down on the floor for several seconds, but eventually got up and walked to bench with a towel covering a cut on his upper lip.
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He needed stitches to close the cut after the game, but didn’t seem angry with Brooks.
“It doesn’t feel that nice, but it’s just a part of the game and hard fouls are a part of basketball,” Wade said. “Unfortunately, I had to get stitches, but it’s fine.
“You’ve got to know the player,” Wade said, “and Aaron Brooks is a good guy and not a dirty player.”
Brooks was whistled for a flagrant foul and hoped to avoid a fine from the NBA.
“Stuff like that happens,” Brooks said. “I’m not a vicious player, I wasn’t trying to hurt him. It was a bad attempt at the ball—but it was definitely an attempt at the ball.
“He’s got a bloody lip, but that’s basketball,” Brooks said. “We all have bloody lips, at times.”
Wade played the final 10 minutes with a bandage covering the cut, and it didn’t faze him at all.
About two minutes after the hit, Wade drove into Brad Miller(notes), hit an awkward layup and converted another three-point play to push the Heat’s lead to 100-93.
“For the majority of athletes, when they get angry, they lose their focus, composure and poise,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But he’s one of the few that the exact opposite happens. He was angry after that hit, and he was bleeding. But you could see, after that point, an absolute laser focus and poise, and he didn’t let his anger get the best of him.”
Wade hit 17 of 24 shots, went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line and pulled down seven rebounds one night after scoring 40 points in a 106-98 win over the New York Knicks.
He reached 45 points for the eighth time, and hit 40 points on consecutive nights for the first time in his career.
LeBron James(notes) scored 20 points and had nine assists and Chris Bosh(notes) scored 21 points for the Heat, who set a franchise record with their 15th win in December.
The Heat have won 16 of their past 17 overall. The Rockets were the first opponent to reach 100 points in that span.
“We’re just a different team now,” James said. “We go out and understand that no matter what the course of the game may bring, we can always will ourselves to win, get enough stops, and make enough plays to win a basketball game.”
Luis Scola(notes) scored 22 points, Kevin Martin(notes) had 21 and Brooks added 20 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who had an eight-game home winning streak snapped.
“We weren’t as sharp as we wanted to be,” Martin said. “But we got beat by five points by a pretty good team. It was a good test of where we’re at right now and we are still confident.”
Houston closed the deficit to four with about six minutes left, but Mario Chalmers(notes) made a 3 and James hit a pull-up jumper to extend the lead again.
Wade then swatted the ball away from Scola, and finished a fast break with a layup to reach 40 points for the second straight game. He slipped past Scola for another layup on the Heat’s next trip, got fouled by Jordan Hill(notes) and hit the free throw for a 115-105 lead.
Joel Anthony(notes) clinched it for Miami with four free throws in the final 34 seconds.
Miami shot 58 percent from the field (43 of 74), but couldn’t shake the Rockets, who scored 62 points in the first half, a season high for a Miami opponent.
“This was a tough game for us,” Wade said. “We gave up 119 points, and that’s not Miami ball. Houston played unbelievable.”
Wade scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the quarter, and Miami led 35-28. James had only six points in the first quarter, but had six assists.
With James and Wade on the bench, Houston scored on its first four possessions of the second quarter to pull even at 37. Bosh scored the next five points to move Miami ahead again.
Brooks set a fast tempo and the Rockets scored 34 points in the second quarter to take a 62-59 lead to the break. Brooks had 12 points and five assists in the half, and Chuck Hayes(notes) added nine points with six rebounds.
Lowry and Martin opened the second half with 3-pointers to stretch Houston’s lead to seven. The Rockets hit 7 of their first 11 shots out of halftime and hit 80 points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third. The Heat came in giving up only 91 points per game.
James swished a pair of jumpers and James Jones(notes) hit a pull-up 3-pointer during a 14-4 Miami spurt and the Heat surged to an 88-84 lead. Miami hit 12 of 18 shots in the third quarter.
Notes: Wade has a steal in 11 consecutive games. … Martin has scored at least 20 points in seven straight games. … Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Texans Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and four-time All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford attended the game.
Garnett hurt in Boston’s 104-92 loss to Detroit
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Kevin Garnett(notes) threw down an emphatic dunk, then grimaced before he even landed.
With that, Boston’s smooth run through this NBA season came to an end.
Garnett left in the first quarter with a leg injury, and the Celtics looked ragged without him in a 104-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Boston lost for only the second time in 17 games, but the Celtics are suddenly facing some adversity they hope isn’t too serious.
“It is a muscle injury, not a knee,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “You always worry when a guy goes down without anyone around him, because those always seem to be severe injuries, so that was the first thing that went through my mind. We don’t think this one is too bad, but we’ll see. He’ll probably miss some time, and we’ll have to adjust.”
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Tracy McGrady(notes)—himself no stranger to leg problems—scored a season-high 21 points for the Pistons. He also played over 30 minutes for the first time since March.
“I’ve been making progress,” McGrady said. “I’ve been confident mentally, physically for quite some time now. I’m just continuing to get better because I work. I see the improvement that I’m making on the court and I’m going to continue to do that. I’m excited about my future.”
Detroit led 45-37 at halftime and pushed the margin to 16 in the third quarter.
Boston played without point guard Rajon Rondo(notes), who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle. The Celtics have been able to win without him, but it was a struggle from the start against the Pistons.
When Garnett dunked for his only two points of the game, he had a pained look on his face before he landed and was careful to avoid putting too much weight on his right leg.
After intentionally fouling to stop the game, he went down to the ground momentarily and appeared distraught when he got up, at one point covering his face with his hands. He was able to hobble off the court but was limping badly by the time he got back to the locker room.
X-rays revealed no fracture, but he was done for the night and possibly longer.
“I think Kevin’s injury took a lot of wind out of our players, because we originally thought the injury was a lot more severe than it turned out to be,” Rivers said. “I think there was a while there where our minds weren’t where we needed them to be.”
Garnett had surgery on his right knee in May 2009 after missing all of that year’s playoffs.
This game was much anticipated because of Garnett’s dustup with Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva(notes) earlier in the season. After a Nov. 2 loss to the Celtics, Villanueva complained on Twitter that Garnett had called him a “cancer patient” during Boston’s 109-86 win. Garnett denied that, saying he had actually called Villanueva: “cancerous to your team and our league.”
Villanueva insisted Wednesday he wasn’t fixated on that feud. He picked up two quick fouls early, the second when he and Garnett appeared to bump each other gratuitously. Villanueva then headed to the bench.
“It was very frustrating,” Villanueva said. “Sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me.”
Garnett’s injury eventually put a stop to that chippy matchup. Villanueva went scoreless in the first half, but contributed 11 points in the third quarter and finished with 14.
Tayshaun Prince(notes) added 18 points for Detroit.
Paul Pierce(notes) scored 33 points for the Celtics, but he was fighting a losing battle on this night.
Down 12, Boston began the fourth quarter with a lineup of Pierce, Jermaine O’Neal(notes), Marquis Daniels(notes), Von Wafer(notes) and Luke Harangody(notes)—not exactly the lineup the Celtics hope will take them back to the finals for the third time in four seasons.
Rivers was called for a technical foul early in the fourth, and a basket inside by Greg Monroe(notes) gave Detroit a 77-62 lead. The Pistons maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
Garnett’s injury in 2009 hurt Boston’s attempt to win a second straight title that year. He had injured the knee going up for an alley-oop in a game against Utah, then aggravated the injury later in the season.
“I was worried, because I saw the play in Utah where he got hurt the first time, and this looked exactly the same,” O’Neal said. “I know it took him a long time to come back from that one, so it is good that it sounds like this is something different. I know from experience how bad it is to try to get back from leg injuries.”
Notes: Pistons G Rodney Stuckey(notes) missed the game because of a stomach virus. McGrady started in his place. … Detroit shot 55.7 percent from the field. … The Celtics turned the ball over 21 times, including six by Ray Allen(notes) and five by Pierce.
With that, Boston’s smooth run through this NBA season came to an end.
Garnett left in the first quarter with a leg injury, and the Celtics looked ragged without him in a 104-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Boston lost for only the second time in 17 games, but the Celtics are suddenly facing some adversity they hope isn’t too serious.
“It is a muscle injury, not a knee,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “You always worry when a guy goes down without anyone around him, because those always seem to be severe injuries, so that was the first thing that went through my mind. We don’t think this one is too bad, but we’ll see. He’ll probably miss some time, and we’ll have to adjust.”
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Tracy McGrady(notes)—himself no stranger to leg problems—scored a season-high 21 points for the Pistons. He also played over 30 minutes for the first time since March.
“I’ve been making progress,” McGrady said. “I’ve been confident mentally, physically for quite some time now. I’m just continuing to get better because I work. I see the improvement that I’m making on the court and I’m going to continue to do that. I’m excited about my future.”
Detroit led 45-37 at halftime and pushed the margin to 16 in the third quarter.
Boston played without point guard Rajon Rondo(notes), who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle. The Celtics have been able to win without him, but it was a struggle from the start against the Pistons.
When Garnett dunked for his only two points of the game, he had a pained look on his face before he landed and was careful to avoid putting too much weight on his right leg.
After intentionally fouling to stop the game, he went down to the ground momentarily and appeared distraught when he got up, at one point covering his face with his hands. He was able to hobble off the court but was limping badly by the time he got back to the locker room.
X-rays revealed no fracture, but he was done for the night and possibly longer.
“I think Kevin’s injury took a lot of wind out of our players, because we originally thought the injury was a lot more severe than it turned out to be,” Rivers said. “I think there was a while there where our minds weren’t where we needed them to be.”
Garnett had surgery on his right knee in May 2009 after missing all of that year’s playoffs.
This game was much anticipated because of Garnett’s dustup with Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva(notes) earlier in the season. After a Nov. 2 loss to the Celtics, Villanueva complained on Twitter that Garnett had called him a “cancer patient” during Boston’s 109-86 win. Garnett denied that, saying he had actually called Villanueva: “cancerous to your team and our league.”
Villanueva insisted Wednesday he wasn’t fixated on that feud. He picked up two quick fouls early, the second when he and Garnett appeared to bump each other gratuitously. Villanueva then headed to the bench.
“It was very frustrating,” Villanueva said. “Sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me.”
Garnett’s injury eventually put a stop to that chippy matchup. Villanueva went scoreless in the first half, but contributed 11 points in the third quarter and finished with 14.
Tayshaun Prince(notes) added 18 points for Detroit.
Paul Pierce(notes) scored 33 points for the Celtics, but he was fighting a losing battle on this night.
Down 12, Boston began the fourth quarter with a lineup of Pierce, Jermaine O’Neal(notes), Marquis Daniels(notes), Von Wafer(notes) and Luke Harangody(notes)—not exactly the lineup the Celtics hope will take them back to the finals for the third time in four seasons.
Rivers was called for a technical foul early in the fourth, and a basket inside by Greg Monroe(notes) gave Detroit a 77-62 lead. The Pistons maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
Garnett’s injury in 2009 hurt Boston’s attempt to win a second straight title that year. He had injured the knee going up for an alley-oop in a game against Utah, then aggravated the injury later in the season.
“I was worried, because I saw the play in Utah where he got hurt the first time, and this looked exactly the same,” O’Neal said. “I know it took him a long time to come back from that one, so it is good that it sounds like this is something different. I know from experience how bad it is to try to get back from leg injuries.”
Notes: Pistons G Rodney Stuckey(notes) missed the game because of a stomach virus. McGrady started in his place. … Detroit shot 55.7 percent from the field. … The Celtics turned the ball over 21 times, including six by Ray Allen(notes) and five by Pierce.
Crosby’s streak snapped in Pens’ SO loss to Isles
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—The way Sidney Crosby(notes) has owned the New York Islanders, no one could have predicted his greatest scoring run would be wrecked by them.
Crosby’s streak of 25 games with at least a point—tied for the 11th longest in NHL history—was snapped by the Islanders and goalie Rick DiPietro(notes), who stopped the Pittsburgh captain and the rest of the Penguins’ high-powered offense in a 2-1 shootout victory Wednesday night.
“That wasn’t me. It was a complete team effort,” DiPietro said. “The defensive corps played with a lot of focus and a lot of heart. When we’re playing smart in our defensive zone, we’re a good hockey team.”
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Crosby had scored in every game since Nov. 3 at Dallas. The run, in which Crosby had 26 goals and 24 assists, was the longest in the NHL since Quebec’s Mats Sundin(notes) had a 30-game streak during the 1992-93 season.
“It would’ve been nice to keep things going, but it was one of those games,” Crosby said.
Crosby also had goals in five consecutive games before being shut down by the Islanders, the team he has victimized the most—along with Philadelphia— with 62 points in 33 career games. Crosby also was denied on Pittsburgh’s second shootout attempt when DiPietro made a pad save.
“There was a few (chances) out there for him and his linemates,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “I’m sure we’ll see another streak.”
Josh Bailey(notes) gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Chris Conner(notes) tied it before the frame was over.
That left the game in the hands of DiPietro and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), the only goalies to be chosen No. 1 overall in the NHL draft.
DiPietro finished with 37 saves through overtime in his first outing after sitting out five games while dealing with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee. Fleury stopped 25 shots and dropped to 16-2-2 against the Islanders.
The Penguins went 19-5-1 during Crosby’s streak, and had scored 21 times in the previous five games when they went 4-1. Pittsburgh will now shift its focus to the Winter Classic on Saturday against Washington at Heinz Field.
“It’s always easy to look back,” Crosby said. “I just try to go out there and do the same things.”
By beating the NHL’s top team, the Islanders can forget about their 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday.
“We didn’t watch any video from that game. We put it behind us,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. “We wanted to move forward and see what kind of character that we have.”
The teams were tied 2-2 through three shootout rounds. P.A. Parenteau(notes) put the Islanders ahead by scoring off a speed rush on Fleury, and DiPietro sealed New York’s rare win over Pittsburgh by stopping Mark Letestu(notes).
The Penguins were 16-4-1 against the Islanders since the start of the 2007-08 season and 11-1-1 the past two seasons. New York (10-19-6) is 5-1-1 in its past seven games and has moved six points in front of New Jersey at the bottom of the NHL standings.
“Any time that you beat a team like that—two points is two points—but when you beat a team like that … ,” DiPietro said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but you’ve seen a lot of young guys step up in big roles and play good hockey.”
The Islanders killed off both Pittsburgh power plays, including a penalty for too many men in overtime, and blocked 28 shots. Keeping Crosby in check was a bonus.
“He’s a great player. He had some chances to keep the streak alive,” Capuano said.
Pittsburgh had a golden chance to take the lead when it was awarded a penalty shot when Islanders defenseman Bruno Gervais(notes) closed his hand on the puck in the crease with 7:01 left in regulation. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang(notes), 13 for 30 in career shootout tries, took shot wide of the left post with a backhander.
Fleury’s signature moment of the third came when stopped Rob Schremp’s(notes) one-timer from close range less than 4 minutes into the period. He then kicked out Matt Moulson’s(notes) drive with 54 seconds left in regulation.
The Penguins, coming off a 6-3 home victory over Atlanta on Tuesday in which Crosby had two goals and two assists, looked sluggish and out of sync early.
The Islanders grabbed the lead 34 seconds into the second when Bailey popped in a rebound for his sixth goal.
Pittsburgh began to find its legs as the second period progressed, only to be stymied by DiPietro. The Penguins finally figured him out after they got a chance off a neutral-zone turnover.
Kennedy, who earlier set up Crosby during a 2-on-1 rush that resulted in a shot off the crossbar, earned an assist on Conner’s fourth goal with 3:27 left.
NOTES: Crosby had two shots on goal. … Bailey has three goals and an assist in five games since being recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL. … Four of the past 11 No. 1 overall draft picks were in the game (Crosby, Fleury, DiPietro and New York’s John Tavares(notes)). … Evgeni Malkin(notes) had a 14-game point streak against the Islanders broken.
Crosby’s streak of 25 games with at least a point—tied for the 11th longest in NHL history—was snapped by the Islanders and goalie Rick DiPietro(notes), who stopped the Pittsburgh captain and the rest of the Penguins’ high-powered offense in a 2-1 shootout victory Wednesday night.
“That wasn’t me. It was a complete team effort,” DiPietro said. “The defensive corps played with a lot of focus and a lot of heart. When we’re playing smart in our defensive zone, we’re a good hockey team.”
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Crosby had scored in every game since Nov. 3 at Dallas. The run, in which Crosby had 26 goals and 24 assists, was the longest in the NHL since Quebec’s Mats Sundin(notes) had a 30-game streak during the 1992-93 season.
“It would’ve been nice to keep things going, but it was one of those games,” Crosby said.
Crosby also had goals in five consecutive games before being shut down by the Islanders, the team he has victimized the most—along with Philadelphia— with 62 points in 33 career games. Crosby also was denied on Pittsburgh’s second shootout attempt when DiPietro made a pad save.
“There was a few (chances) out there for him and his linemates,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “I’m sure we’ll see another streak.”
Josh Bailey(notes) gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Chris Conner(notes) tied it before the frame was over.
That left the game in the hands of DiPietro and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), the only goalies to be chosen No. 1 overall in the NHL draft.
DiPietro finished with 37 saves through overtime in his first outing after sitting out five games while dealing with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee. Fleury stopped 25 shots and dropped to 16-2-2 against the Islanders.
The Penguins went 19-5-1 during Crosby’s streak, and had scored 21 times in the previous five games when they went 4-1. Pittsburgh will now shift its focus to the Winter Classic on Saturday against Washington at Heinz Field.
“It’s always easy to look back,” Crosby said. “I just try to go out there and do the same things.”
By beating the NHL’s top team, the Islanders can forget about their 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday.
“We didn’t watch any video from that game. We put it behind us,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. “We wanted to move forward and see what kind of character that we have.”
The teams were tied 2-2 through three shootout rounds. P.A. Parenteau(notes) put the Islanders ahead by scoring off a speed rush on Fleury, and DiPietro sealed New York’s rare win over Pittsburgh by stopping Mark Letestu(notes).
The Penguins were 16-4-1 against the Islanders since the start of the 2007-08 season and 11-1-1 the past two seasons. New York (10-19-6) is 5-1-1 in its past seven games and has moved six points in front of New Jersey at the bottom of the NHL standings.
“Any time that you beat a team like that—two points is two points—but when you beat a team like that … ,” DiPietro said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but you’ve seen a lot of young guys step up in big roles and play good hockey.”
The Islanders killed off both Pittsburgh power plays, including a penalty for too many men in overtime, and blocked 28 shots. Keeping Crosby in check was a bonus.
“He’s a great player. He had some chances to keep the streak alive,” Capuano said.
Pittsburgh had a golden chance to take the lead when it was awarded a penalty shot when Islanders defenseman Bruno Gervais(notes) closed his hand on the puck in the crease with 7:01 left in regulation. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang(notes), 13 for 30 in career shootout tries, took shot wide of the left post with a backhander.
Fleury’s signature moment of the third came when stopped Rob Schremp’s(notes) one-timer from close range less than 4 minutes into the period. He then kicked out Matt Moulson’s(notes) drive with 54 seconds left in regulation.
The Penguins, coming off a 6-3 home victory over Atlanta on Tuesday in which Crosby had two goals and two assists, looked sluggish and out of sync early.
The Islanders grabbed the lead 34 seconds into the second when Bailey popped in a rebound for his sixth goal.
Pittsburgh began to find its legs as the second period progressed, only to be stymied by DiPietro. The Penguins finally figured him out after they got a chance off a neutral-zone turnover.
Kennedy, who earlier set up Crosby during a 2-on-1 rush that resulted in a shot off the crossbar, earned an assist on Conner’s fourth goal with 3:27 left.
NOTES: Crosby had two shots on goal. … Bailey has three goals and an assist in five games since being recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL. … Four of the past 11 No. 1 overall draft picks were in the game (Crosby, Fleury, DiPietro and New York’s John Tavares(notes)). … Evgeni Malkin(notes) had a 14-game point streak against the Islanders broken.
Coach K alone in 2nd on wins list Duke romps
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)—Mike Krzyzewski one-upped his longtime rival. Now there’s only one man with more victories than Duke’s Hall of Fame coach—his former mentor.
Krzyzewski moved past rival Dean Smith into second place on the men’s all-time wins list Wednesday night, claiming his 880th career victory with the top-ranked Blue Devils’ 108-62 rout of North Carolina-Greensboro.
He trails Bob Knight, who mentored and coached him at Army on the way to 902 wins. One fan in the stands held a sign that said: “You’re next, Bobby.”
“I don’t want to take any of that too seriously, but rather say, ‘I’m one of the guys who’s won a lot of games,”’ Krzyzewski said. “To share a spotlight with Dean and (Knight), that’s a great honor.”
When the buzzer sounded, Krzyzewski hugged UNC Greensboro coach—and former assistant—Mike Dement before making his way across the court for a television interview. The Hall of Fame coach waved to the Duke fans who helped pack the 23,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum.
“When I walked out and saw it was a full house, and so many Duke fans, I did take a moment to reflect back to when I first got to North Carolina and there weren’t very many Duke shirts,” Krzyzewski said.
Kyle Singler scored 27 points and Nolan Smith had 22 of his season-high 26 points in the first half for the Blue Devils (12-0), who shrugged off an eight-day break and shot a season-best 60.9 percent, scored 42 points off 23 turnovers and hit the 100-point mark for the second time.
“We knew it was a big deal, but to be honest, we didn’t really know how big the deal really is,” Singler said. “It’s just kind of crazy that you’re going through the time where you’re getting coached by Coach K and I guess you don’t really realize it until it’s all over. Just a really special thing to experience with him.”
The reigning national champions won their 22nd straight, pushing Krzyzewski past the man who coached the Tar Heels for 36 seasons before retiring in 1997 as the winningest coach in Division I history. Knight then passed Smith and retired nearly three years ago.
“I congratulate Mike on this milestone victory,” Smith said in a statement issued by North Carolina following the game. “I am sure he would want to share the credit for the wins with all his players and staff. I enjoyed competing against Mike’s teams throughout the years I was at UNC. I wish him continued health and personal success.”
If the Blue Devils run through the rest of their schedule undefeated, Krzyzewski—who is 880-279 in his 36th season as a head coach—will catch Knight in this same arena in March in the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and pass him in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I don’t want to make it sound less than what it is, but number of wins, you have to be healthy, you have to have really good players, you have to have commitment from your school,” Krzyzewski said. “So, I don’t know if that’s as much an achievement as much as the result of having all those things. And so I’m not going to look at this as an achievement. When you win a championship … those are achievements. The number of wins, you have to win a certain number of games—especially the last one—to get an achievement.”
The Greensboro Coliseum, located roughly an hour’s drive from Duke’s campus in Durham, has become a second home for Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, who haven’t been beaten here since a loss to Maryland in the 2004 ACC title game. They won the league tournament here for the fifth time under Krzyzewski last March before rolling through the NCAA tournament on the way claiming to their fourth national title, and haven’t lost since.
“Outside of doing it in Cameron” Indoor Stadium, Krzyzewski said, “this is the place you would want to do it.”
Seth Curry scored 15 points, Miles Plumlee and Andre Dawkins added 11 apiece and Ryan Kelly scored 10 for the Blue Devils, who hadn’t played since Dec. 20. This was their fourth straight game without freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who averages a team-best 17.4 points but remains out indefinitely with an injured big toe on his right foot.
They certainly didn’t need him against the winless Spartans, who offered little resistance in falling to 0-3 against No. 1 teams in the program’s history.
“I wished we could have given them a little bit better fight, a little bit better game,” Dement said.
Duke opened the game on a 15-2 run, went up by double figures to stay roughly 6 1/2 minutes in, and outscored UNC Greensboro 22-7 midway through the half to open up a permanent 20-point lead. Singler’s jumper in traffic with about 7:15 left made it 39-15 and Smith’s fast-break dunk roughly 5 minutes later gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the half, 49-24.
Duke’s 53 first-half points were a season high, and by the break, Smith was two points shy of his season high. He finished three away from the career-best 29 points he scored against Baylor in the South Regional final last March. Smith made it a 30-point game when his layup with 14 minutes left pushed it to 71-40.
“I think knowing what was at stake, I wanted to be a little more aggressive, Kyle wanted to be a little more aggressive,” Smith said. “Coach gives us so much, and he always has our back. I think both of us, in the backs of our minds, we wanted to have Coach’s back tonight.”
Aaron Brackett had 14 points to lead UNC Greensboro (0-12). The Spartans previously fell to top-ranked Duke teams in 1997 and 2005, dropped to 0-9 all-time against the Blue Devils and have just one win against an ACC school.
“A lot of irony from my standpoint, to get involved with this game,” said Dement, a member of Krzyzewski’s staff from 1982-83. “All of us who grew up in North Carolina, as younger guys and as coaches, we all studied Dean Smith. We read his books and copied him. … It was a lot of irony that came into this, but a lot of
Krzyzewski moved past rival Dean Smith into second place on the men’s all-time wins list Wednesday night, claiming his 880th career victory with the top-ranked Blue Devils’ 108-62 rout of North Carolina-Greensboro.
He trails Bob Knight, who mentored and coached him at Army on the way to 902 wins. One fan in the stands held a sign that said: “You’re next, Bobby.”
“I don’t want to take any of that too seriously, but rather say, ‘I’m one of the guys who’s won a lot of games,”’ Krzyzewski said. “To share a spotlight with Dean and (Knight), that’s a great honor.”
When the buzzer sounded, Krzyzewski hugged UNC Greensboro coach—and former assistant—Mike Dement before making his way across the court for a television interview. The Hall of Fame coach waved to the Duke fans who helped pack the 23,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum.
“When I walked out and saw it was a full house, and so many Duke fans, I did take a moment to reflect back to when I first got to North Carolina and there weren’t very many Duke shirts,” Krzyzewski said.
Kyle Singler scored 27 points and Nolan Smith had 22 of his season-high 26 points in the first half for the Blue Devils (12-0), who shrugged off an eight-day break and shot a season-best 60.9 percent, scored 42 points off 23 turnovers and hit the 100-point mark for the second time.
“We knew it was a big deal, but to be honest, we didn’t really know how big the deal really is,” Singler said. “It’s just kind of crazy that you’re going through the time where you’re getting coached by Coach K and I guess you don’t really realize it until it’s all over. Just a really special thing to experience with him.”
The reigning national champions won their 22nd straight, pushing Krzyzewski past the man who coached the Tar Heels for 36 seasons before retiring in 1997 as the winningest coach in Division I history. Knight then passed Smith and retired nearly three years ago.
“I congratulate Mike on this milestone victory,” Smith said in a statement issued by North Carolina following the game. “I am sure he would want to share the credit for the wins with all his players and staff. I enjoyed competing against Mike’s teams throughout the years I was at UNC. I wish him continued health and personal success.”
If the Blue Devils run through the rest of their schedule undefeated, Krzyzewski—who is 880-279 in his 36th season as a head coach—will catch Knight in this same arena in March in the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and pass him in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I don’t want to make it sound less than what it is, but number of wins, you have to be healthy, you have to have really good players, you have to have commitment from your school,” Krzyzewski said. “So, I don’t know if that’s as much an achievement as much as the result of having all those things. And so I’m not going to look at this as an achievement. When you win a championship … those are achievements. The number of wins, you have to win a certain number of games—especially the last one—to get an achievement.”
The Greensboro Coliseum, located roughly an hour’s drive from Duke’s campus in Durham, has become a second home for Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, who haven’t been beaten here since a loss to Maryland in the 2004 ACC title game. They won the league tournament here for the fifth time under Krzyzewski last March before rolling through the NCAA tournament on the way claiming to their fourth national title, and haven’t lost since.
“Outside of doing it in Cameron” Indoor Stadium, Krzyzewski said, “this is the place you would want to do it.”
Seth Curry scored 15 points, Miles Plumlee and Andre Dawkins added 11 apiece and Ryan Kelly scored 10 for the Blue Devils, who hadn’t played since Dec. 20. This was their fourth straight game without freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who averages a team-best 17.4 points but remains out indefinitely with an injured big toe on his right foot.
They certainly didn’t need him against the winless Spartans, who offered little resistance in falling to 0-3 against No. 1 teams in the program’s history.
“I wished we could have given them a little bit better fight, a little bit better game,” Dement said.
Duke opened the game on a 15-2 run, went up by double figures to stay roughly 6 1/2 minutes in, and outscored UNC Greensboro 22-7 midway through the half to open up a permanent 20-point lead. Singler’s jumper in traffic with about 7:15 left made it 39-15 and Smith’s fast-break dunk roughly 5 minutes later gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the half, 49-24.
Duke’s 53 first-half points were a season high, and by the break, Smith was two points shy of his season high. He finished three away from the career-best 29 points he scored against Baylor in the South Regional final last March. Smith made it a 30-point game when his layup with 14 minutes left pushed it to 71-40.
“I think knowing what was at stake, I wanted to be a little more aggressive, Kyle wanted to be a little more aggressive,” Smith said. “Coach gives us so much, and he always has our back. I think both of us, in the backs of our minds, we wanted to have Coach’s back tonight.”
Aaron Brackett had 14 points to lead UNC Greensboro (0-12). The Spartans previously fell to top-ranked Duke teams in 1997 and 2005, dropped to 0-9 all-time against the Blue Devils and have just one win against an ACC school.
“A lot of irony from my standpoint, to get involved with this game,” said Dement, a member of Krzyzewski’s staff from 1982-83. “All of us who grew up in North Carolina, as younger guys and as coaches, we all studied Dean Smith. We read his books and copied him. … It was a lot of irony that came into this, but a lot of
NFL fines Favre $50k for ‘failure to cooperate
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Down to the last few days of the season and maybe Brett Favre’s(notes) career, the NFL ended a slow-paced investigation of tawdry allegations against the quarterback with a $50,000 fine and a rebuke for not being candid.
The league punished one of its marquee players for failing to cooperate with investigators who were trying to determine if the 41-year-old quarterback sent inappropriate messages and below-the-belt photos to Jenn Sterger in 2008, when both worked for the New York Jets.
The ruling came days before what could be the final game for the three-time MVP. He’ll start for Minnesota at Detroit on Sunday if he’s recovered from a concussion sustained Dec. 20 against Chicago, and has said this will be his final season, though he’s unretired in the past. He made the declaration even before his NFL record for consecutive starts was snapped at 297 in mid-December.
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It’s been a tough season on the field for Favre and his Vikings, and by the league’s own admission, the investigation begun in early October has generated plenty of bad publicity for all the parties involved—Favre, Sterger and the NFL itself.
Yet Commissioner Roger Goodell “could not conclude” that Favre violated the league’s personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available to him, the league said in a statement announcing the fine.
Forensic analysis failed to establish that Favre sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger, the league said.
Favre’s punishment stems from Goodell’s determination that he was “not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger and the NFL,” the league said. The commissioner also told Favre that if he had found a violation of the league’s workplace conduct policies, he would have imposed a “substantially higher level of discipline.”
The NFL said its sole focus was on whether Favre violated workplace conduct policy, not to “make judgments about the appropriateness of personal relationships.”
There was no comment from Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, did not return messages.
The ruling drew a swift and bitter response from Sterger’s attorney, who accused the league of favoritism.
“It clearly shows that an NFL star player was given preferential treatment and tells all other players that failure to cooperate may cost you some money but will not result in other punishment,” said Joseph Conway, who added there was “ample evidence” the photos were of Favre.
“Additionally, today’s decision is an affront to all females and shows once again that, despite tough talk, the NFL remains the good old boys’ league,” Conway said.
Conway said Sterger is undecided about whether to take legal action against Favre, the Jets or the NFL.
The league said its investigation dragged out because of difficulties in setting up interviews with “certain key individuals,” the complication of retrieving and reviewing electronic records and Goodell’s decision to meet with both Favre and Sterger before reaching a conclusion.
Vikings players had Wednesday off, and interim coach Leslie Frazier said he “never put a lot of energy or focus” on the situation.
“I can’t really speak for Brett and how it has affected him on and off the field,” Frazier said. “I just know that whenever he’s in meetings, whenever he’s on the practice field, he’s been all in in every situation. I’ve never thought for a moment that he wasn’t as prepared as well as he’s prepared ever.”
Frazier said the organization is “extremely supportive of the league office,” but the coach also said he was “pulling for Brett and his family.”
Goodell in a memo sent Wednesday to all NFL teams said that “every member of every club’s staff should be able to work in an environment free of harassment or hostility, and one in which every employee is valued, respected, and given a full opportunity to contribute to the goals of the club and the NFL.”
Favre’s fine will help fund a new training program on workplace conduct around the league, though for the multimillionaire QB the penalty is a pittance. Even while sitting out of Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia because of post-concussion symptoms, Favre essentially earned $50,000 over about five minutes of action.
According to NFLPA data, Favre’s base salary for this season is $11.6 million.
The allegations against the quarterback surfaced on the website Deadspin, which posted a video Oct. 7 that included text messages and voicemails allegedly left by Favre for Sterger, including one in which he invites her to his hotel.
A former model who was a Jets gameday hostess and later appeared on the Versus television network, Sterger refused to speak on the record to the website. Weeks after the story broke, she talked with league investigators and cooperated fully, according to her manager Phil Reese.
Deadspin editor in chief A.J. Daulerio acknowledged paying a third party for the material it posted on Favre and said that he could not guarantee the material was genuine.
The league also reviewed media reports that Favre pursued two massage therapists who worked at the Jets’ facility in 2008. But the NFL said that claim could not be substantiated because people with “potentially relevant information” declined to be interviewed or cooperate with investigators.
According to the league, its investigation included the following: “an analysis of publicly available reports; a series of interviews with knowledgeable individuals, including Sterger and Favre; a review of communications between the two furnished to our office; and independent forensic analysis of electronically stored material.”
The investigation was also limited in several respects because the matter was not brought to its attention until two years after it allegedly occurred, the league said.
Favre has consistently refused to answer reporters’ questions about the allegations. He said early on that he had enough to worry about with the Vikings’ next opponent, and that’s certainly been true this season.
Convinced to come back for one more run at a title by three Minnesota teammates who flew down to see him in Mississippi, Favre’s second year with the Vikings has been nothing like the charmed run of last season, which ended with a heartbreaking loss to New Orleans in the NFC championship game.
With 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, Favre’s passer rating of 69.9 ranks ahead of only Arizona’s Derek Anderson(notes) and rookie Jimmy Clausen(notes) of Carolina.
Favre also has been battered by injuries to his ankle, chin, ribs, back, head and throwing shoulder—the one that forced him to finally miss a start, against the Giants on Dec. 13. But despite all his troubles, Favre has said all along that he did not regret coming back for a 20th NFL season.
“If you had seasons like you did last year, every year,” he said recently, “I don’t think you would appreciate them nearly as much.”
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Lindsey Vonn: Has Alpine Ski Racer Lost Her Edge
On Tuesday, U.S. champion alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn lost her No. 1 world ranking to Germany's Maria Riesch for the first time.
Vonn finished seventh in the World Cup giant slalom in Semmering, Australia, and was overtaken by Riesch.
The question is, has Vonn lost her edge?
A champion skiier who has 36 World Cup wins, Vonn is the most successful American female in ski racing history.
But a seventh place finish in the giant slalom has to worry her; she's been so dominant for so long she was bound to have trouble but does this signify a decline for Vonn?
We shall see in the coming months.
Will Vonn regain her No. 1 ranking?
report.com
2010 Winter Olympics: Lindsey Vonn Wins Gold in Her Greatest ...
Feb 17, 2010 ... Lindsey Vonn claimed the one medal that has eluded her throughout her ... With the victory, Vonn cements her legacy as not only America's greatest alpine skier ever, ... and although she lost a little bit of time at the bottom of the ... It has the edge over the overall World Cup championships she ...
2010 Winter Olympics: What's Next for Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn ...
Feb 22, 2010 ... 2010 has been different for the alpine skier though, ... If reports are true, Miller lost around $3 million in endorsements after going 0-5 for Torino. ... of the media circus surrounding teammate Lindsey Vonn and her injured shin, ... and intriguing personality give him an edge that few can rival. ...
2010 Winter Olympics: Lindsey Vonn's Six Worst Crashes, Spills and ...
Feb 11, 2010 ... US skier Lindsey Vonn may be one of the very best competitors in the world, ... Vonn lost the edge on the ski as she entered the right turn, ... although at those speeds, any crash has the potential to do real damage. ... Vonn hooked the tip of her right ski and lost control about 30 turns into her ...
2010 Winter Olympics: The 20 Best and Worst Memories from ...
Mar 1, 2010 ... No other male Olympian from any country has won more medals than Ohno. ... Fans of Lindsey Vonn got their chance to see the glamorous alpine skier at every ... happened to be her favorite event—the downhill—wasn't lost on Vonn, ... and they also narrowly edged past Germany's previous record of most
Lindsey Vonn of U.S. Loses Top Skiing Spot to German Riesch After Slalom
Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. finished seventh in the women’s World Cup giant slalom in Semmering, Austria, allowing Germany’s Maria Riesch to take over the top spot in the overall skiing standings.
France’s Tessa Worley won her third straight giant slalom, finishing her two runs in a combined time of 2 minutes, 9.66 seconds. Riesch finished second, 0.62 second back, and Kathrin Hoelzl was third, another 0.16 seconds behind her fellow German.
American Julia Mancuso was fifth, and Vonn, who’s won the overall title three times in a row, finished nearly 1 1/2 seconds behind Worley.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Elser at celser@bloomberg.net
Lindsey Vonn of U.S. competes during the women's Alpine skiing World cup giant slalom in Semmering. Photographer: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
Mavs lose Nowitzki to injury, but beat Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—The Dallas Mavericks were already without their coach after knee surgery, then lost Dirk Nowitzki(notes) to his own knee injury.
And the Mavericks just kept rolling on the road.
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Caron Butler(notes) scored 21 points and the Mavericks shook off the loss of Nowitzki in the second quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-93 on Monday night for their 17th victory in 18 games.
Nowitzki scored 13 points before leaving with 9:10 left in the second with what the Mavericks said was a sore right knee. Shawn Marion(notes) scored 20 points off the bench to help replace him.
“You hate to see the big German go down,” guard Jason Terry(notes) said. “But we saw him at halftime and he was smiling. He told us, ‘No problem. You guys got this.”’
Dallas improved to 11-1 on the road this season, best in the NBA, and 24-5 overall.
“Just a great team win,” said Mavs assistant Dwane Casey, running the team while Rick Carlisle recovers from his surgery. “Huge team win. The guys pulled together. We had to get into a rhythm offensively. It took us awhile to find it. This should be a huge confidence boost for our guys.”
Casey said he didn’t believe Nowitzki’s injury was serious.
Kevin Durant(notes) scored 28 points, one game after a season-high 44 points on Christmas against Denver. James Harden(notes) had 18 for the Thunder, who dropped their second in a row to the Mavericks this season.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said his team’s approach did not change after Nowitzki’s injury.
“I knew this team was a defensive team. They have the record of 24-5 because they have a talented group of guys that play well,” he said. “Dirk is one of the best players, but he isn’t the only guy on their team.”
Terry was 5 of 8 from the floor in the fourth quarter and scored 11 of his 13 points in the final period. The Mavs held Durant to just five points in the final period.
The Thunder led 84-83 with 9 minutes left but Dallas scored the next seven points.
“We just picked a bad time to miss shots,” Brooks said. “They did a good job of making shots in the fourth quarter.”
DeShawn Stevenson(notes) had 12 points for the Mavericks. Jason Kidd(notes) finished with 10 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Notes: Oklahoma City was just 4 of 18 shooting in the fourth quarter. Dallas was 11 of 20. … Dallas is 15-1 this season when two of its bench players score 10 or more points.
Gibbs’ 21 lead Pitt past Walker, UConn 78-63
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun warned his players what they would experience at Pitt. The never-let-up defensive pressure. A very loud crowd that’s only a few feet off the court and tries to intimidate unsuspecting teams.
No, this isn’t Hartford or Storrs or even Maui, and now the Huskies know what their coach was talking about.
Ashton Gibbs scored 21 points as Pittsburgh’s balance overcame Kemba Walker’s one-man offense for No. 4 Connecticut, and the No. 6 Panthers easily won the Big East’s first matchup of Top 10 teams by 78-63 on Monday night.
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Walker scored 31 points, but missed 17 of 27 shots as Pittsburgh repeatedly limited the Huskies to a single shot in a possession—often a bad one. They shot 31.7 percent, 19 of 60, and had only two scorers with more than 5 points until the closing minutes in the conference opener.
“They came to play, they wanted it and they got it,” a worn-out Walker said. “They made me work for every basket. It was a tough night for me. … Their game plan was great and they stayed with it.”
Or just how the Panthers planned it.
“Our transition defense was good and we really emphasized it,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “We wanted to force them to take tough shots and we did that for the most part.”
Brad Wanamaker, who took turns with Gibbs shadowing one of the nation’s leading scorers, added 14 points as Pittsburgh (13-1) beat Connecticut (10-1) for the fourth straight time and the fifth in six games.
Gary McGhee had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Nasir Robinson, making his first start of the season, helped out with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Pitt, which shot 52.1 percent.
“We let the game come to us,” Gibbs said. “We took our time and get baskets because of it.”
Pitt’s experience made a difference as only three players in UConn’s rotation had played before at the Petersen Events Center, where the Panthers are 8-0 against Top 5 teams and 142-11 overall.
“It’s great to get a win against a great team,” Wanamaker said. “It shows where we’re at.”
The Huskies also played their first road game, and it showed. They had trouble solving Pitt’s man-to-man defense, which repeatedly forced them into taking hurried or low-percentage shots after the shot clock had wound down to a few seconds.
“They locked us up defensively,” Calhoun said. “We didn’t react well to being legally, physically handled defensively. They weren’t allowing us to get good shots and we took some ill-advised ones.”
Connecticut, unranked before the season began before surging through the ratings after beating Michigan State and Kentucky in the Maui tournament, has lost five of its last six conference openers.
The Huskies fell behind by 10 in the first half, trailed by as many as 17 and never took a determined run despite Walker’s wide variety of baskets, nearly all of them heavily defended.
Walker, most effective when driving the lane against Pitt’s taller but slower defenders, scored at least 20 points for the 10th consecutive game and 30 or more for the fifth time. But the Huskies had no other player in double figures as Walker scored more than half (10) of their 19 baskets.
The eight Connecticut players other than Walker who took shots missed 24 of 33.
Alex Oriakhi, averaging 11.3 points, wasn’t a factor with eight points and one rebound.
“I don’t know if he was better sitting or playing,” Calhoun said. “He’s not the player right now I think he can be.”
Pitt, wearing gold uniforms and cheered on by a standing-room crowd of 12,725 that was urged to also wear the color, surged to early leads of 8-2 and 16-7 and never led by fewer than 6 points the rest of the first half.
Dixon kept rotating defenders against Walker, who missed nine of his first 12 shots—4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Pitt came in outrebounding its opponents by an average of 16 per game, only to have UConn hold a 36-33 advantage. It made no difference as UConn missed 23 of its first 33 shots, including nine of 11 from 3-point range.
Pitt is 4-3 against UConn when each team was in the Top 10, but UConn still leads 7-6 when both were nationally ranked. Calhoun is 1-5 at Pitt’s on-campus arena.
Osgood earns 400th career win in 4-3 OT victory
DENVER (AP)—Chris Osgood(notes) was too busy feeling the pressure from the Colorado Avalanche to put any on himself.
That was precisely what he needed.
Osgood tied a career high with 46 saves in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night to become the 10th goalie in NHL history to reach the 400-win plateau.
“Just the way it’s been my entire career. Nothing ever comes easy,” Osgood said, grinning.
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After the game, Osgood felt more relief than accomplishment. This win has been weighing heavily on him.
But with the Avalanche applying constant pressure, he didn’t have time to give the milestone a moment’s thought.
“You try to put it out of your mind and go play. But it never works that way sometimes,” Osgood said. “I didn’t have an opportunity to think about it. I was just playing.”
Niklas Kronwall(notes) scored the winner with 1:18 remaining in overtime and just like that the celebration was on. Osgood’s teammates hopped off the bench and swarmed him on the ice.
“Our guys just dug down deep and we played really well,” Osgood said.
Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Jiri Hudler(notes) and Johan Franzen(notes) also scored for the Red Wings, who have won three of their past four games.
Matt Duchene(notes) scored twice for Colorado and T.J. Galiardi(notes) added another as the Avalanche had a season-high 49 shots.
“Sometimes that’s the way it goes; you deserve to win and you don’t get it,” said Galiardi, whose team has dropped three straight. “It’s an upsetting game.”
Kronwall scored the winner on a power play following a tripping call on Peter Budaj(notes) as the Avs goalie stuck out his stick and got a piece of Darren Helm(notes) as he skated around the back of the net.
A good call?
Budaj was on the fence.
“It’s the referee’s call. It’s not my call. I thought I tried to play it honest,” Budaj said. “I did collide with (Helm’s) skate.”
For Kronwall, the goal was a sense of atonement.
His team leading 3-2 late in the third period, Kronwall was called for tripping. Duchene took advantage by knocking in a rebound with 2:36 remaining to send the game to overtime.
That’s when Kronwall slammed in a shot from the left circle.
“Felt really good to contribute,” Kronwall said. “But tonight was all Ozzie. We didn’t play a good game whatsoever, but he stood on his head. It was all him tonight.”
Osgood came up big all evening, but no more than in the second period when he stopped one point-blank shot after another to keep the game tied at 2. He finished with 23 saves in the period, including a solid backhanded attempts by Philippe Dupuis(notes) and Adam Foote(notes).
So good was Osgood during a stretch in the middle portion of the period that the Red Wings fans in attendance at Pepsi Center began chanting “Ozzie.”
“I thought Ozzie set the tone,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “We didn’t skate. We weren’t very good. But Ozzie hung in there.”
Late in the second period, Kevin Shattenkirk(notes) was hit in the forehead on a shot by Kris Draper(notes), knocking the defenseman to the ice. He was helped off by the trainer, a towel covering his bloody face. He returned midway through the third period with five stitches.
“I was pretty lucky,” Shattenkirk said.
Detroit took advantage of the Avalanche’s shaky penalty-kill unit all night, scoring all four of its goals on the power play.
“Our power play won the game,” Osgood said.
Osgood did his part, too.
“This is one I definitely won’t forget,” Osgood said. “It was a lot of fun for me.”
Detroit’s offense didn’t seem to lack in production despite missing Danny Cleary(notes), who will be sidelined for at least a month after breaking his left ankle Sunday night in Minnesota.
Cleary is one of the team’s leading goal scorers.
Draper said the injury to Cleary is a “big blow for our hockey team.” Pavel Datsyuk(notes) (hand/wrist) and Mike Modano(notes) (wrist) are already out of the lineup.
Asked what impact Cleary being out of the lineup might have, Babcock said, “Better have zero.”
“I’d like to have him on the bench,” Babcock said. “You really miss a guy like that. But saying that, someone’s going to get a good opportunity.”
Notes: There was a moment of silence before the game for Elizabeth Turgeon, the 18-year-old daughter of former NHL center Pierre Turgeon. She was killed last week when the pickup truck she was driving crashed into the trailer of a semi-truck at an intersection in New Mexico. … Detroit F Jan Mursak(notes) made his NHL debut. … Osgood is 400-216-95 in his 17-year career.
Falcons squander chance to show who’s best in NFC
“We’ve got to take a long look at ourselves,” John Abraham(notes) said.
Drew Brees(notes) threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham(notes) with less than 3 1/2 minutes remaining, and the defending Super Bowl champs clinched their return to the postseason with a 17-14 victory over Atlanta on Monday night.
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New Orleans (11-4) snapped the Falcons’ eight-game winning streak and stopped them from wrapping up the NFC South and home field all the way up to the Super Bowl.
If the teams meet again in the playoffs, a distinct possibility, the Saints know they are capable of winning even at the Georgia Dome—a huge psychological boost in late December.
“Here we are, having won seven of eight,” Brees said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re playing on the road or at home. We’re battle-tested.”
OK, so all is not lost for Atlanta (12-3). Far from it. The Falcons merely need to beat Carolina (2-13) at home on the final week of the season to wrap up their first NFC South title since 2004 and the top seed in the conference.
But this one stung.
Atlanta had a chance on the national stage to silence all those skeptics who wondered if the team with the best record was truly the NFC’s best team.
Not on this night.
The Falcons had two crucial fumbles, breaking a streak of seven straight games without coughing the ball up. Matt Ryan’s(notes) two favorite receivers were effectively shut down. Roddy White(notes) scored the only touchdown for the offense but was held to three catches for 43 yards. Tony Gonzalez(notes) managed just two receptions for 12 yards.
“We forced them to do some things they didn’t want to do,” New Orleans safety Roman Harper(notes) said. “We made them play left-handed. We disrupted their timing.”
The Saints won even though Brees threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the first of which was returned 26 yards for a touchdown by defensive end Chauncey Davis(notes), giving Atlanta its first lead of the night. Abraham also picked off a pass after New Orleans’ apparent go-ahead touchdown was ruined by a false-start penalty.
Through it all, the Saints persevered. Brees completed six straight passes on a 13-play, 90-yard drive that won it, capped by a quick slant to Graham.
“That’s part of it,” Brees said. “It’s the ebb and flow of the game. Sometimes you have a clean pocket. Sometimes they’re getting after you.
“In the end, we found a way to win.”
Brees completed 35 of 49 passes for 302 yards, easily winning the duel with Ryan (15 of 29 for 148 yards) on a night when both teams struggled to run the ball effectively.
“It starts with the confidence (Brees) has in himself and the confidence the players have in him,” coach Sean Payton said. “When he’s under center, we’re always in the game.”
New Orleans especially enjoyed getting the best of White, who stirred up hard feelings last week with a series of inflammatory tweets, including one that referred to Hurricane Katrina.
“We didn’t execute. We didn’t do anything we needed to do,” White said. “Our defense played well. They got those turnovers. They got us good field position, and we just didn’t get the job done.”
Even though Brees made two huge mistakes, the Falcons were lamenting all the times he got away with a dip here, a step there.
“We can’t keep getting close,” Abraham said. “It’s not enough, especially with a guy like (Brees). He’s not going to just go down. If you get close like that, he’s still looking at his receivers. He’s third-and-short, he’s third-and-long, we’ve got him right where we want him and he’s completing passes for first down.”
All around, the Falcons didn’t play their typically clean game.
An errant snap by Todd McClure(notes) out of the shotgun was recovered by New Orleans, setting up Pierre Thomas’(notes) 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Saints a 10-0 lead.
Ryan connected with White on a 7-yard touchdown pass that made it 10-7 at halftime, but Atlanta squandered another chance when Michael Turner(notes) fumbled the ball away on second-and-goal at the 1. It was his first fumble of the season.
“It wasn’t anything they did,” he said. “I just lost control, and that’s something I can’t do. I’ll make sure it won’t happen again.”
The Falcons lost for only the fourth time at home in Mike Smith’s(notes) three years as coach.
“We don’t want to feel this way the rest of the season,” Ryan said. “We’re going to work hard to make sure we don’t.”
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