But Duncan gleans then made unravels a left- handed jumper and Nick Van Exel found Manu Ginobili for an alley- oop layup, and after that the Celtics never got closer than 10 " I thought we caught the Spurs on an off night " Boston coach Doc Rivers said " They were beatable " But the last time the Celtics did beat San Antonio was in January 1997, five months before Duncan was drafted first overall by the Spurs. Rajon Rondo appeared to be in favor of adding a player who could potentially take some minutes away from the second- year point guard[ Celtics GM Danny Ainge] asked me how I felt about it " Rondo told the Boston Herald " I told him I thought it would be a great idea. You can' t sit around and mope about it " Duncan said " If there' s a positive about it, we played without him for 19 games and we' re kind of used to it a little bit " Obviously, having him there gives us one heck of a boost. 2 points in 42 games with the Bobcats over parts of two seasons before he was waived on Nov 27 Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. He felt an inherent pressure to do more, to hit more doubles, more gappers.

John' s had its hearing with the NCAA' s infractions committee and expects to hear the results in six to eight weeks . And Ohio State and Michigan haven' t budged from the top of The Associated Press Top 25 . Busch, who led four times in the Lipton Tea 250, made the move that counted in the third and fourth turns on the 229th trip around the 0 75- mile oval . Updated: May 26, 2009, 7: 55 PM ET Bartlett is fifth regular to leave lineup Comment Email Print Share Associated Press CLEVELAND- The injuries are mounting for the defending American League champions . I' m just amazed at how much everybody kisses their butts right now " Stewart has been a longtime promoter of using multiple tire manufacturers, often promoting Hoosiers that he uses in other series. He swept both Cup races( Sonoma and Watkins Glen) and added a Nationwide Series win at Mexico City to boot. But if you think any of this has Gross losing sleep, you' re mistaken.

It may be, however, that no team will offer Sheffield a full- time spot " This is kind of late before the start of the season, and teams have been setting their rosters " Williams told Olney " It would be odd for us to expect that[ a guaranteed full- time job . He turns 29 next month and is no longer the star he was during that memorable playoff series . Bryant was at his incredible best Tuesday night, scoring a career- high 62 points in just three quarters to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112- 90 victory over the Mavericks The 27- year- old Bryant, who brought a 31 . But whatever changes take place under a new regime, Rios believes the song is here to stay " In one form or another, I think it' s safe to say this will always be part of our tradition " Rios said " I can' t see it any other way " Wayne Drehs is a senior writer for ESPN He can be reached at wayne drehsespn3 . NBA Rumor Central ESPN Insider has the updated buzz from the National Basketball Association rumor mill.

J( AP- Irate at the way his team started the game, Jeff Van Gundy stood cross- armed near the Houston bench and didn' t move a muscle . Jimmy Jameson, former WTAMU golfer and the husband of women' s golf coach Meredith Jameson, will become the interim men' s golf coach . Updated: July 3, 2008, 11: 11 AM ET Chicago White Sox All- Star conversation Comment Email Print Share ESPN Who has been the Chicago White Sox' s best player the first half of the 2008 season? Who is most worthy of an All- Star roster spot? . 8 " I' m not comparing, I' m just saying that young man is a beast " O' Neal said of Bryant " We all know he is a beast . The San Francisco- based StubHub ticket reseller has found fans willing to pay more for Cleveland tickets- probably because it' s the team' s first championship series- and said the series is one of the top items among the 20, 000 events listed on its site " It' s certainly one of the hottest sports events, far and away hotter than the NHL finals " said Sean Pate, StubHub' s public relations director Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. Payton said it took him 2# 189; hours to drive to the game from his San Fernando Valley home " That traffic is crazy out here " he said The Raptors were 1- 13 vs Western Conference opponents last season.

It' s too early in the season " Carter, who assumed the playmaking duties for the Nets during a large part of the fourth quarter, had 16 points, five assists and six rebounds, while Richard Jefferson had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists . Many teams instituted discounted tickets and cheaper food prices, including$ 1 hot dogs " Frankly, recession or not, this is the way it should be every year " he said . The Jays said that Downs will be placed on the DL Thursday with a sprained left big toe . Morris told Barnhart on Friday afternoon that he had signed with the Knicks, Kentucky spokesperson Scott Stricklin confirmed . Both of the charges carried a possible six- month jail sentence.

Updated: August 11, 2009, 3: 57 PM ET Complete 2009 draft results Comment Email Print Share Learn More# 187; Report a bug# 187; Feedback# 187; BBTN Minute: Nationals Draft Strasburg Go to the MLB draft blog for analysis from Keith Law and Jason Churchill . Mark Bonn, president of the research firm that conducted the study " Economic conditions have little effect upon their decision to come to Florida for spring training . Coker made a splash this season with a 48- yard touchdown reception on a trick play against Florida and an 89- yard touchdown run against Marshall, the longest rushing play in school history Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press . Kerry Wood and Mark PriorWood and Prior once were dubbed " Chicago Heat " by Sports Illustrated, but Cubs fans now blame Dusty Baker for their demise . He missed a lot of shots that he usually makes " Kelvin Cato, also sent to Orlando in the trade, had 11 points and six rebounds Rookie guard Jameer Nelson added 12 points. 71 blocks in five NBA seasons with the Rockets and Minnesota The pastor, Richard R.

The offensive line is experienced and does a great job protecting Clausen with three two- way starters in left tackle Duke Lemmens, left guard Justin Landseadel and right tackle Michael Ebbitt The only junior is right guard Bis Kin . More Podcasts# 187; It was the second time during these playoffs Howard has questioned why the Magic coach doesn' t run more of the offense through him, with the latest being the loudest and most direct . In addition, the Rangers changed their starting pitcher Wednesday night, but still used someone making his first major league start . Updated: December 9, 2008, 11: 20 AM ET Ejection means Paulhus Gosselin won' t play Comment Email Print Share Associated Press NEW YORK- A Southern Conference policy on ejections means Davidson( No 22 ESPN/ USA Today, No . He promised afterward it will get better, and soon " Notre Dame is obviously a fine football team and we must have miscalculated them, and that' s my responsibility " he said " We hit adversity, and we did not deal with adversity the way championship teams deal with adversity. He employed magicians, used back- flipping dogs, re- enacted war scenes in elaborate pre- race shows and emphasized driver rivalries to sell the sport and make his track one of the premier locations in NASCAR " We did a lot of things to try to make it better for the fans, and he did a lot of that " Smith said.

The Celtics, who will play the 76ers at home on Sunday, also have regained a one- game lead over Cleveland in the fight for home court advantage in the playoffs " We had to win this one " Celtics guard Gary Payton said " We couldn' t go into that game Sunday three games up and make it a battle . 91 ERA this year at Class- A Tampa, Double- A Trenton and Triple- A Scranton " Going into this season, I was thinking Double- A was fine . Scutaro went to the ground, and home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom motioned for the Toronto training staff to come look at him . Updated: March 1, 2006, 7: 58 PM ET Bulls' Allen day- to- day with sprained neck Email Print Share Associated Press CHICAGO- Bulls forward Malik Allen is listed as day to day after spraining his neck against Minnesota and being carted off the court on Tuesday night . Updated: October 5, 2007, 5: 47 PM ET Krystkowiak won' t guarantee playing time for rookie Yi Comment Email Print Share Associated Press ST. The Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Atlanta area at 9: 26 p m.

Rick Pitino first did it at Providence, then Kentucky, and then Louisville . He stood at his locker answering questions from reporters after the game, sometimes making jokes, but deep inside he worried that on a national level people would wonder whether Heath Bell belonged on the same field as Mariano Rivera That' s the fickle nature of baseball players . The two left- handers joined four Toronto righties on the DL . Updated: September 15, 2006, 7: 02 PM ET Assault charge against Gamecocks QB dropped Email Print Share Learn More# 187; Report a bug# 187; Feedback# 187; Spurrier Comments On QB Suspension COLUMBIA, S . Now he can' t hit, either, and the Los Angeles Angels must play without their valuable slugger at least one month.

8 seed and an impressive performance in a first- round loss to San Antonio . Giles also owed$ 4, 097 in child support payments to the mother of his year- old son . Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star who has appeared in several leagues since leaving the NBA five years ago, has signed a two- game contract with the Cedar Valley Jaguars of the International Basketball League, IBL officials said Tuesday . But then, best I can remember, we couldn' t find Mulhern that day in' 79, either . Jeff Burton agreed " In today' s conversation you could have heard whatever you wanted to hear " he said " I bet if you asked every driver what they heard they would have said something different What I heard was things aren' t bad. Atlanta Motor Speedway will move its fall race from October to Labor Day weekend, with Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif, giving up that date to move into the Chase for the championship and Talladega Superspeedway moving its second race nearer the end of the season. He finished with 16 points on 6- for- 15 shooting and had six rebounds against Canada.

Even without Griffin on Saturday, the Sooners led by five with 5 minutes to play before the Longhorns rallied " We' re a good team, and Blake is a very good player, but he' s not the only player on this team " Blake' s brother Taylor Griffin said . His steady progress quickly earned the respect of his teammates " Chad' s a great leader and it' s his huddle " offensive lineman Steve Schilling said Monday " But Ryan did a great job of maintaining that . SAN ANTONIO( AP- The Denver Nuggets expected San Antonio to come out hard and fast in Game 2, and the Spurs didn' t disappoint them . Our real concern is the lack of interior front- four depth at defensive tackle, with Ian Williams( Longwood, Fla/ Lyman) being the only member of the class at that position, but every other area has been addressed . Updated: September 5, 2008, 4: 57 PM ET Bubble boy? Watch Hamlin lock up Chase spot with win at Richmond The Eliminator: Richmond Comment Email Print Share Learn More# 187; Report a bug# 187; Feedback# 187; Over The Wall: Pressure On Bubble Team Pit CrewsOver The Wall: Pressure On Bubble Team Pit CrewsPressure mounts for the pit crews of the teams on the Chase bubble EA Track Preview- RichmondEA Track Preview- RichmondRusty Wallace previews the Richmond International Raceway Hey there, NASCAR fans. Rizzo said he believes that Flores' replacements, Wil Nieves and Josh Bard, are sufficient, and he has no plans to seek reinforcements from outside the organization " Nieves and Josh Bard are a good piece to our ballclub. He had Tommy John surgery last summer and had begun pitching in Single- A this summer.