Winter Olympics: Canadian gold rush puts hosts on top of world

VANCOUVER – Canada bagged another three golds on the penultimate day of the Winter Olympics on Saturday to ensure they will finish top of the medal standings, triggering wild celebrations across the country.

It is the first time Canada has topped the medal standings at the Winter or Summer Olympics and followed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Just a week ago, the hosts were facing public demands for a full investigation into their failure to win more golds, but they have piled up nine in six days to soar past their rivals and ignite a wave of patriotism.

"Everyone was worried that we weren't going to get a gold medal on home soil. To come out with the most number of gold medals is the complete opposite," said Lucas Makowsky, a member of the Canadian men's speedskating pursuit team that struck gold.

"It's something that's pretty incredible for our Canadian athletes and our sporting system in general."

Snowboarder Jasey Jay Anderson won the men's parallel giant slalom and Canada's men also won the curling final to lift the home nation's golden tally to a record-equaling 13 with just two events left on Sunday before the closing ceremony.

Germany won the women's speedskating team pursuit final to remain second on the medals table with 10 golds and the United States won their ninth, in bobsleigh, to be assured of finishing the Games with the most overall.

Italy and Poland both won their first golds.

Giuliano Razzoli, who grew up admiring Italy's skiing great Alberto Tomba, prevailed in the slalom on a tricky course where poor weather in the first leg tripped up nearly half the racers including Olympic comeback kid Bode Miller.

The 25-year-old Razzoli, who had clocked the fastest time in the first leg through fog and sleet, became the first Italian man to win the title since Tomba 22 years ago in Calgary.

"I told him, have your eyes open and be fast and ferocious. He handled it the way he had to," said Tomba, who was at Whistler mountain to watch the race.

Close finish

Poland won their first gold in the women's 30 kilometer cross country race as Justyna Kowalczyk sprinted to the finish to deny Norway's Marit Bjoergen her fourth gold by less than a ski's length.

Germany's Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle won the bronze while Bjoergen's consolation silver gave her a fifth medal from five events, the most by any athlete at these Games.

"It's going to take a while to understand what I have done during these Olympics," she said. "I dreamed of taking one gold and now I have five medals, three golds."

The German women won their speedskating pursuit final following a bizarre semi-final in which Anna Friesinger-Postma belly-flopped on the ice in the final straight and paddled across the line in the nick of time.

The Germans replaced Friesinger-Postma for the final, where they beat Japan for the gold. The bronze medal went to Poland.

"I thought I had messed it up," Friesinger-Postma said. "But, you see, impossible things can happen."

Saturday's outdoor events were plagued by inclement weather with the snowboarders and Alpine skiers barely able to see their courses because of the heavy fog, not that the winners were complaining.

"Pretty hard to beat, eh? Olympic gold at home," said Anderson, who won gold at Cypress Mountain by beating Austria's Benjamin Karl in the final.

At the final Alpine event on Whistler mountain, the completion rate in the first slalom leg was just over 50 percent.

Croatia's Ivica Kostelic finished second behind Razzoli to collect his second silver of the Games and Sweden's Andre Myhrer took the bronze.

Night train

The Americans won gold when their so-called "Night Train," the four-man bobsleigh team led by Steve Holcomb, earned the U.S. their first triumph in the event since 1948. Germany were second and Canada third.

"No more 62 years," Holcomb said. "We'll start the clock over. Now it's going to be four years."

Canada beat the U.S. in a tight race to win the men's speedskating pursuit final with the bronze going to the Netherlands.

The host nation then defeated Norway in the men's curling final, the last gold medal decided on Saturday, with Switzerland claiming the bronze.

Canada's total of 13 golds equaled the record for the most for any country at a Winter Olympics after the Soviet Union won 13 at Innsbruck in 1976 and Norway matched the mark at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Canada would set a new mark by winning either of the two golds on offer on Sunday, the men's 50km cross-country skiing and the men's ice hockey final.

Finland beat Slovakia 5-3 on Saturday to win the bronze but Sunday's mouthwatering final between Canada and the U.S., the final medal event of the Games, promises the perfect ending for a host-nation that has already exceeded their wildest dreams.

Mayol keeps title, Sonsona falls

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxers Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol and “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona both suffered knockdowns in their respective “Double Assault” fights on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) but they met contrasting fates.

Despite the knockdown, Mayol successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) junior flyweight after his bout against Mexican Omar Nino Romero ended in a technical draw, PhilBoxing.com reported.

Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona, on the other hand, failed to win another world title. He was defeated by eventual WBO super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. of Puerto Rico.

Mayol, who fought in Guadalajara, Mexico, was hit by his foe “with a series of low blows.”

According to writer Dong Secuya, the referee was going to stop the fight in Round 3 when the Mexican fired a left “that hit squarely at the jaw of the momentarily defenseless Mayol who crashed to the canvas almost unconscious.”

Officials then announced that the title remained with Mayol while the boxer was being prepared to be taken to the hospital.

Mayol currently has a record of 26-4-2 (with 20 KOs) while Romero has a record of 28-3-2 (with 11 KOs).

Meantime, Dr. Ed de la Vega of PhilBoxing.com assured that Mayol is fine. “Although he was hit hard on the jaw, there was no fracture in his jaw and his neck is fine. We are about to get back to our hotel from the hospital,” he noted.

Sonsona, Rubillar fail

The 19-year-old Sonsona, meanwhile, was dealt his first career loss in Bayamon, Puerto Rico by local Vazquez.

Vazquez bagged the vacant WBO junior featherweight belt after scoring a knockout in Round 4 “with a left hook to the liver.”

The son of former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. remained undefeated at 18-0-1 (with 15 KOs) while Sonsona slumped to 14-1-1 (with 12 KOs).

Another Filipino, meantime, also lost in his attempt to become a world champion.

Veteran Juanito Rubillar failed to bag the (IBO) junior flyweight title in South Africa as he was beaten by local Hekkie Budler by majority decision, Ronnie Nathanielsz of PhilBoxing.com reported.

Nathanielsz noted that the judges scored in favor of the South African, 117-113 and 115-113 while the third judge scored it even, 114-114.

Budler kept his record clean at 14-0 (with 5 KOs) while Rubillar now has a record of 48-14-7 (with 23 KOs).

FEU dismantles UST’s twice-to-beat edge, wins football crown

Rookie Dexter Chio made up for the absence of Far Eastern University’s (FEU) top striker as the Tamaraws took home the 72nd UAAP men’s football crown, defeating University of Santo Tomas (UST), 1-0, Sunday at the Ateneo field.

Chio, a rookie from Cotabato, scored home the championship-winning goal in the 75th minute, volleying a deflection into the back of the net just outside the penalty box.

FEU played without its top scorer, former national team mainstay Jason Cordova, who was suspended after getting ejected in the first game for two yellow cards.

The Tamaraws also overcame the Tigers’ twice-to-beat advantage entering the finals series.

“This is a great championship for us. Even though we have three players missing, we got the title," said FEU coach Rodolfo Alicante, referring to veterans Jason Almenar and Romnick Jover who were likewise suspended after being issued with two yellow cards in the first game.

Cordova scored in the Tamaraws’ 1-0 win over the Tigers Thursday to send the series into a rubber match.

Alicante said the early preparation did wonders for the Tamaraws, who last won the title in 2008, breaking a 28-year-spell.

Jake Hugo led the list of Tamaraws who won individual awards bagging the Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. Cordova won the Best Scorer plum while Francis Gustilo bagged the Best Midfielder trophy. Ronnie Aguisanda won the Best Goalkeeper accolade also for the Tamaraws.

David Basa of UST was adjudged as the season’s Best Defender.

It was truly a redemption for the Tamaraws, who lost last season’s crown to University of the Philippines (UP) despite enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage in the finals.

Home and away: Pinoy cagers find their place abroad

With a vast pool of talent in basketball-crazy Philippines, the probability of making it big – and staying long – in the premier play-for-pay loop is becoming slimmer and slimmer for aspiring pros.

Some hang up their jerseys way earlier than planned. Others play in smaller leagues while waiting to get calls from player agents or Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams.

Al Vergara Photo from Singapore Slingers website

For players like Al Vergara and Francis Adriano, though, the best option is to play for basketball squads abroad.

Vergara has been with the Singapore Slingers since 2009. Adriano, on the other hand, was among ex-pros who jumped at the chance to display their wares and earn green bucks as "imports" for teams in the 1st ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

"Wala namang pinagkaiba sa style [of play] dito (There's no difference in playing styles between here and there)," said Vergara, who had a brief stint with Purefoods in the PBA between his first and second contracts with the Singapore-based Slingers.

Vergara, just like all the other Filipinos suiting up for foreign teams in the ABL, feels he's hitting two birds with one stone by playing basketball abroad.

"Maganda rin ang bayad at ang mahalaga ay ang exposure o playing time na nakukuha ko na hindi ko makukuha sa atin (The pay is great and I also get to have the much-needed exposure and playing time that I won't get in the Philippines)," said Vergara, who played at least 30 minutes in 13 of the team’s 18 games and averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the ABL’s maiden tournament.

Adriano readily concurs, saying he himself has got a new lease on his basketball life with the Brunei Barracudas. The thing is, he has to endure being away with his family for so long as the regional cage league features a home-and-away format.

“Hindi ako sanay na malayo ng ganito sa pamilya ko. Pero inisip ko na rin ang magagawang tulong sa akin kung tanggapin ko ang offer. Alam ko na rin na matagal ang playing time dito kasi kami ang aasahan," said Adriano, who has two other Pinoy teammates at the Barracudas roster, Don Camaso and Leo Avenido.

("I'm not used to being away from my family. But I thought about how much it would help me to accept the offer. I know that I'll get more playing time here since they'll depend on us.")

Francis Adriano Photo from Brunei Barracudas Facebook Fan Page

The former FEU star posted averages of 14.3 points, 4.4 boards and 3.3 feeds in 15 games for the Barracudas, his playing time ranging from 19 minutes to a high of 40 minutes, which he logged during one stint against the Slingers.

Adriano, who was relegated to playing pickup games for a year and a half after getting his walking papers from Barako Bull in the PBA three years ago, cited another benefit – getting to visit various ASEAN cities.

Aside from the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, the ABL also has teams based in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, each hosting the other squads.

It’s not only the veterans who have chosen to become "imports."

Fresh graduate Rudy Lingganay accepted the offer to play for the Kuala Lumpur Dragons so he could put in time on the hardcourt. That proved to be a good decision for the 5'7" guard from the University of the East, as he is considered one of the key players for the team.

"I really did not expect it to turn this way. When I first arrived here, there was communication problem because the coaches are Chinese coaches. But slowly I adjusted to their system," said Lingganay who scored 13 points in the Dragons’ losing semifinal stint with eventual champion Philippine Patriots last month.

Other Filipinos strutting their stuff for foreign teams are Roel Hugnatan and Fhadzmir Bandaying of KL Dragons and Glen Bolocon, Axel Doruelo and Ricky Ricafuente of Thailand Tigers.

Like Vergara, Adriano and Lingganay, they, too have found their places away from home, proving to be assets to their respective teams.

China expresses regret over gymnastics punishment

BEIJING — China has expressed regret at a decision by international gymnastics officials to recommend the withdrawal of an Olympic medal won by the country at the 2000 games because a member of its squad was underage at the time.

Gymnast Dong Fangxiao was 14 during the Sydney Games, according to an investigation by the FIG, the international gymnastics federation. Gymnasts must be 16 during the Olympic year to compete.

The Chinese Gymnastics Association said it reserved the right to further explain and to appeal the decision, adding it has been cooperating fully with the FIG in its investigation.

FIG on Saturday "canceled" all of Dong's results from the 2000 Sydney Games and recommended that the International Olympic Committee strip the Chinese of their bronze medal.

A second gymnast on the 2000 squad, uneven bars bronze medalist Yang Yun, also was suspected of being underage, but there was insufficient evidence her age had been falsified. FIG said it was giving her a warning.

"We believe that to date, there is no sufficient evidence to prove that there were problems with Dong Fangxiao's age in 1999 and 2000, therefore we feel great regret toward the FIG's punishment decision," the Chinese association said in a statement late Saturday.

The Chinese Gymnastics Association has been "constantly strengthening and perfecting the administration of gymnasts ... and will strictly check every detail on the gymnasts' part," the statement said.

Questions about Dong and Yang's eligibility arose during the FIG investigation into the eligibility of the Chinese team that won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Media reports and Internet records suggested some of the girls on that team could have been as young as 14.

The FIG cleared the Beijing Games gymnasts in October 2008 after Chinese officials provided original passports, ID cards and family registers showing all of the gymnasts were old enough to compete. But the FIG said it wasn't satisfied with "the explanations and evidence provided to date" for Dong and Yang.

Dong's results from the 1999 world championships, where China won a bronze medal and she was sixth in the all-around, also will be wiped out, the FIG said.

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s, after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 in an effort to protect young athletes, whose bodies are still developing, from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.

Romania admitted some of its gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu. Gymnasts from the Soviet Union said their birth dates were changed to allow them to compete. And North Korea was banned from the 1993 world championships after FIG discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the 1991 gold medalist on uneven bars, was listed as 15 for three years in a row.

Venus retains Mexican Open title

ACAPULCO, Mexico — Venus Williams came from a set down to defend her Mexican Open title with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Polona Hercog of Slovenia on Saturday.

It was Williams' second consecutive WTA title — this one on clay and another a week ago on hard courts in Dubai — and pushed her career total to 43 WTA titles, the most by an active player.

Hercog was appearing in her first WTA final.

Williams started slowly and got into trouble with an erratic serve and groundstrokes that were often long. Hercog was showed poise in winning the first set and seldom missed a shot.

The American gained her composure in the second set and began to wear down the 19-year-old, hitting the corners more often and opening the court.

"I played such a good opponent," Williams said. "In the first set she did not miss one shot and I had to find a way to get into the match."

As she did when she won last year, Williams donned a huge sombrero — known as a "charro," the type worn by Mexico Mariachi musicians — and turned to salute the crowd.

She suggested she'll be back next year for at shot at three straight.

"I would love to come next year," she said. "I have to make it three, a hat trick. I think I can do it. It's not an easy tournament to win, as you can see this year."

It was Williams' first tournament of the season on clay, and she was pushed to three sets in the last three matches by lower rated opponents.

Williams defeated Spain's Laura Pous Tio in the quarterfinals (ranked No. 399), Edina Gallovits in the semifinals (No. 164) and the 60th-ranked Hercog in the final.

Williams came from 5-1 down in the final set to win the quarterfinals against Pous Tio, cheered on by fans chanting "Venus, Venus." The fans were just a vocal in the Saturday's final.

"It's too bad Mexican fans can't follow me around the world and give me that support," Williams said. "I'm going to miss it."

The victory was Williams ninth of her career on clay, second on the active list to Justine Henin. She disputes any suggestion she's only an average clay-court player.

"I actually feel like I've had good results on clay," she said.

Best friends Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer of Spain played later in the men's final. Ferrero defeated Ferrer a week ago in the ATP final in Buenos Aires.

Randolph overwhelms Knicks with 31 points, 25 boards

NEW YORK — Zach Randolph overwhelmed them with his scoring and rebounding. Tracy McGrady lasted 15 minutes before calling it a night.

Good thing all the New York Knicks' moves are for the future. Because if they were about the present, all of them backfired Saturday night.

Randolph had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds against his former team, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Knicks 120-109 to tie a franchise record with their fourth straight road victory.

"Feels good," Randolph said. "In the Garden, come back, get a win, play good against your old team."

Marc Gasol added 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Grizzlies overwhelmed the Knicks' frontcourt. Rudy Gay scored 27 points for Memphis, which outrebounded New York 52-32.

"I just thought we got wore down by their strength and their height and their weight, and we paid for it a little bit," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Randolph made the tiebreaking free throws with 3:45 remaining, starting a decisive spurt in which he seized control of the game with his scoring and rebounding. His basket with a minute left essentially put it away at 116-107.

Al Harrington, playing more after McGrady departed with a sore left knee, scored 31 points for the Knicks. David Lee added 21 but had only seven rebounds while battling Randolph and Gasol.

Randolph could have been the inside presence the Knicks lack, but they traded him and Jamal Crawford on the same day early last season, moves that jump-started New York's plan to free salary cap space for this summer's free agency class.

The Knicks started 6-3 that season, and Randolph said before the game he believed a lineup with he, Crawford and Lee would be tough, especially in the Eastern Conference. He also said he thinks New York has a shot to land LeBron James, which would make the trades worthwhile, even though the Knicks have struggled since.

New York picked up McGrady last week in another move that was salary driven, and he is still playing his way back into shape after microfracture knee surgery last February. He went 25 minutes Friday night in a win at Washington, and D'Antoni said before the game he hoped McGrady could go that long again, but would leave it up to the player.

Instead, McGrady didn't play in the second half, going scoreless and missing all three shots. He said the knee was nothing to worry about, just that he realized early on it wasn't going to be his night.

"I just don't want to have any setbacks," McGrady said.

Memphis last won four straight road games in January 2005, and the timing of this streak couldn't be better, because the Grizzlies suddenly can't win at home. They have dropped six straight in their own building after reeling off a franchise-record 11 straight home wins in December and January.

"First we had the problem that we were winning at home and we couldn't win away from the FedEx," Gasol said. "Now we have the opposite problem, so we'll see how it goes."

Gay scored 10 points in the first 3 minutes of the fourth, and the Grizzlies opened an eight-point lead midway through the period. New York ran off eight straight to tie it at 107 on Danilo Gallinari's 3-pointer with 4:04 to play.

That's when Randolph took over, preventing the Grizzlies (30-29) from falling below .500 for the first time since they were 15-16 to end 2009.

"That's how scary we can be, anybody can take over at any point in time," Gay said.

Memphis scored the first six points and twice led by 14 in the first quarter, the second time when Randolph's tip made it 23-9 with 4:20 remaining in the period. Randolph had 12 rebounds in the first 12 minutes, helping Memphis open a 31-23 lead.

Harrington replaced McGrady in the lineup to start the second half and scored 14 points in the third quarter. The Knick scored the final seven points to take an 88-85 edge to the fourth.

Vazquez spoils Sonsona’s title bid with KO win

Marvin Sonsona failed to crash into the roster of champions again after getting knocked out by Puerto Rican Wlifredo Vazquez, Jr. in their clash for the vacant WBO junior featherweight crown Saturday at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

According to FightNews.Com, Vazquez imposed his power on the former super-flyweight champion from General Santos City from round two onwards, battering the 19-year-old warrior and eventually sending him to the deck in the fourth stanza.

"A Vazquez left hook to the body ended it for Sonsona at the 2:01 mark of the fourth," FightNews.Com reported. "He did not beat the count of referee Luis Pabon."

Vazquez Jr., a natural at the 122-pound wars, thus followed in the footsteps of his namesake and father, Wilfredo Sr., as a Puerto Rican world boxing champion, hiking his unblemished record to 18-0-1, 15 KOs.

It was the first setback for Sonsona (14-1-1, 12 KOs), who had a 77-day reign as champion two divisions down at 115-pounds. He lost the WBO's super-flyweight strap after coming in 2.6 pounds over the contractual limit in his first defense against Alejandro Hernandez of Mexico. That fight ended in a draw.

PBA stint next big thing for RP Patriots owner

With no less than 10 championships in the local and international scenes, Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero still yearns to achieve one big dream � his team playing and winning a crown in the Philippine Basketball Association.

"I still believe it will happen someday," said Romero, looking for that ultimate glory after having savored triumphs in the PBL, the SEABA, the SEA Games and most recently the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

"I will wait for the right opportunity. Who knows, there'll be a team that will sell its franchise for a good price. Or the league opens for expansion," Romero also said.

"But I won't enter in a tie-up anymore. It's hard," added Romero, recalling his first attempt to join the PBA in partnership with the Lina Group of Companies.

After the plan to take over the Air21 team didn't push through, Romero played one more tournament in the PBL, nailing a seventh straight championship with Oracle Residences.

Then came his big jump to the ABL with his Philippine Patriots, co-owned by Tonyboy Cojuangco, ruling the league's maiden tourney.

Romero and the members of the team fly to Kuala Lumpur next week to receive their championship rings.

"It's so satisfying. I'm blessed with hardworking players and coaching staff. With their hard work came these 10 championships," said Romero.

In beating Indonesia's SM Britama team for the ABL championship, the Patriots gained outright seeding in the 2010 FIBA Asia Champions Cup slated in Lebanon in May.

Smart Gilas, the team being prepared for the Asian Olympic qualifier next year, vies for a slot in the Asian Champions Cup as it competes in the SEABA qualifying tourney.

"It's a good opportunity to play Smart Gilas in the Champions Cup," said Romero, who's hoping to sign up University of the East prolific guard Paul Lee to beef up his team for the Champs Cup.

A big question is whether import Gabe Freeman would be available to play for the team in that tourney. Freeman is set to return with the San Miguel squad in the forthcoming PBA Fiesta Conference.

The other Patriots import is former Coca-Cola reinforcement Jason Dixon.

Among coach Louie Alas' key local players are Rob Wainwright, Nonoy Baclao, Elmer Espiritu, Jerwin Gaco, Warren Ybanez and Christian Coronel.

Donaire, wife give Z Gorres P350,000

MANILA, Philippines – Interim super fly champ Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. and his wife Rachel extended financial help to fallen boxer Z “The Dream” Gorres, who is recovering from two more operations.

According to PhilBoxing.com, Donaire and his wife donated a total of P350,000 to Gorres who underwent operation to remove a growth in his throat that hampered his breathing.

Gorres earlier underwent two brain surgeries at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas after collapsing in his last fight in Las Vegas.

After arriving in the Philippines, The Dream also underwent tracheostomy and tracheoplasty to fix the discomfort he is having with his throat.

Donaire met Gorres’ wife Datches at a press conference in a Cebu restaurant Thursday afternoon following their arrival in Cebu.

The Filipino Flash said he wanted to present the Gorres family a “small token” from his purse in his fight against Manuel “Chango” Vargas in Pinoy Power III.

Donaire stopped the Mexican challenger in the 3rd round to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) interim title.

Donaire said the donation “comes from the heart”. He also called on others to help Gorres and his family.

Gorres touched by Donaire’s gesture
Donaire also visited Gorres at the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital, where the fallen boxer is confined.

Gorres was touched by the visit and could not hide his tears.

“Nagpapasalamat ako kay Nonito dahil nagkaroon siya ng oras para dalawin ako. Tunay siyang kaibigan,” he said.

Donaire then told the former super flyweight contender that 7-time world champ Manny Pacquiao will also pay him a visit.

Pacquiao is currently in the thick of preparations for his title defense against Joshua Clottey on March 13.

Roach: Speedy Pacquiao will overwhelm Clottey

Manny Pacquiao ran roughshod through four different sparring partners earlier this week, and boxing's pound-for-pound king plans to churn through just as many on Saturday.

He's been peppering the speed bag, pounding the heavy bag and doing enough running to make Usain Bolt fall over in a heap. Under the watchful eye of trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao is putting himself in position to knock out Joshua Clottey when they fight March 13 in Dallas.

"Manny is getting better all the time," Roach marveled after a training session Friday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. "I know Clottey is a big, strong guy. I respect him, he's a great fighter. But Manny I feel is going to overwhelm him with his speed and combinations, and I do believe we will be the first one to stop him in 12 rounds."

If it sounds simple, that's because Pacquiao has little trouble when fights are decided in the ring. Things aren't so easy when the fight is contested with words.

That continues to be the case with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., after their proposed blockbuster fell through because of drug testing protocol. Mayweather and his relatives have accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, either directly or by innuendo, while the Filipino champion has balked at taking a blood test within 14 days of a fight.

Pacquiao will instead fight Clottey at Cowboys Stadium, while Mayweather is headed for a showdown May 1 against welterweight champion Shane Mosley. Along with the verbal jabs, Pacquiao and Mayweather can also fight over who generates bigger pay-per-view numbers.

"We're not happy with his remarks and Manny really wants to fight him in the future because of the remarks he made," Roach said. "Manny, sometimes when he's shadowboxing, he shows me how Mayweather fights and how he'll take care of the problem, and I've never seen that before.

"He's trying to ruin our reputations and so forth," Roach added, "but we want to fight him and we'll knock him out."

Promoter Bob Arum still believes that Mayweather never wanted to fight Pacquiao, and his strict adherence to blood testing — which is far more extensive than urine analysis required by the Nevada Athletic Commission — was his way of getting out of it.

"We don't have to be geniuses to know what they were trying to do. They were trying to get into Manny's head so he'd be discombobulated," Arum said. "Mayweather against Manny is a no-contest, no contest. Manny would wipe the ring with Floyd Mayweather."



If that's ever to happen, he'll first have to wipe the ring with Clottey.

The fight appears to be a mismatch on paper, especially considering the rugged fighter from Ghana lost to Miguel Cotto — the same guy Pacquiao dominated last fall. But just like fights aren't decided with words, they aren't decided on paper, either.

"Joshua Clottey I know is taller and bigger than me, and you cannot underestimate him," Pacquiao said, "because he's a former world champion also."

Clottey has been training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the first seven-figure payday of his career. It would go a long way toward helping his family back home in the dusty city of Accra, where Clottey acknowledges that poverty is a way of life.

"I'm coming to do my best," he said by phone earlier this week. "He is a good fighter. He is the best now. This is the test and I am going for the WBO title. I'm going all out. I have my game plan and I always come to fight."

It's a difficult fight to market because it's not the fight demanded by the public, but that doesn't mean there isn't significant interest. Pacquiao is making an encore appearance on Jimmy Kimmel next week and will soon have a profile in Time Magazine, while Clottey was the subject of a lengthy expose in ESPN The Magazine.

And of course, Pacquiao is running for Congress in the Philippines.

More than 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the fight, and Arum expects the $1.2 billion football stadium just outside Dallas to be filled with about 45,000 fans on March 13.

It may not be Mayweather, but it's something to tide fans over.

"People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, that's clear. But Manny has a huge, huge fan base," Arum said. "Every sports fan knows Manny Pacquiao. Our job is to present Joshua Clottey as he is, a bigger guy, a stronger guy probably, a guy who has never been off his feet — a real test for MannyPacquiao. That's what will sell this fight.

"I think the public gets it, and I think the pay-per-view is going to do extremely well."

Nowitzki's 37, Kidd's triple-double lead Mavs

ATLANTA — Jason Kidd needed to take control. Hawks coach Mike Woodson gave him a perfect opportunity.

Kidd bumped into and briefly argued with Woodson, the spark Dallas needed to overcome a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat Atlanta 111-103 in overtime on Friday night.

"The coach is not supposed to be on the floor," Kidd said. "You see that a lot in games. The NBA has so many rules, and there is a coaching box, and some of the coaches do stretch that box. For me, it's just a reaction. Make something happen. It was a big play for us."

Dirk Nowitzki scored 37 points, Kidd had 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds, and the Mavericks won their sixth straight.

Kidd had his first triple-double this season and 104th of his career, third-most in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

"This one, I will treasure as much as the first one I had," Kidd said. "At 36, I feel great. A triple-double at 36 is special."

Joe Johnson scored 27 points for Atlanta, which dropped to 22-7 at home. The Mavericks won their Western Conference-best 19th on the road, one more than their total last season.

Josh Smith forced overtime with a putback that tied it at 99.

With 1:37 left in regulation, Kidd bumped into Woodson after the Atlanta coach took too long to step off the court as the guard was dribbling near the left sideline.

"I said, 'You can't be on the floor. You don't have a uniform on,'" Kidd said. "It was just a play. We move on."

Woodson seemed to be pulling his right foot off the floor when Kidd used his left arm to push the coach back rather softly into the scorer's table.

"The officials got it right," Kidd said. "I thought from there, mentally, we took control of the game. That play just presented itself. It's just a reaction and just understanding what the team needs. Rules are rules. The coach isn't supposed to be on the floor."

Lead official Mark Wunderlich quickly called timeout, cleared the players from the floor and brought Dallas coach Rick Carlisle over to speak with Woodson before whistling the Atlanta coach for a technical foul.

After Nowitzki hit the ensuing free throw that cut the Atlanta lead to 97-96, Johnson missed a jumper before Kidd hit a 3 in front of the Hawks' bench to put Dallas ahead 99-97.

Woodson later credited Kidd with being alert.

"He made a heck of a play," Woodson said. "Jason Kidd is an All-Star. He's a (potential) Hall of Fame guard. He's had a hell of a career. He did what he had to do. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to favor the team. I've got to take the hit for that."

Atlanta missed its first eight shots of overtime before Smith's layup cut the lead to 108-103 with 30 seconds remaining.

Hawks sixth man Jamal Crawford hit a pair of free throws with 8:23 left in regulation to make it 86-71 for the game's biggest lead. But he and his teammates soon lost their shooting touch, as Crawford combined with Al Horford, Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams to finish just 17 for 54 from the field.

"They were smart enough to stay in the zone (defense) until late in the game," Crawford said. "When they (switched), we were up 13 in the fourth quarter. We got some great shots. Shots that, if we came in here tomorrow, we'd knock down most of them."

Nowitzki hit 15-of-26 shots for the Mavs, and teammate Shawn Marion finished with 14 points after going 7 for 11 from the field.

The story, however, was Kidd, who had nine points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the final 4:53.

"Well, it wasn't at first," Kidd said. "I missed a lot of open shots and I thought I was letting my teammates down."

James, Williams help Cavs top Raptors in OT

TORONTO — Mo Williams made the clutch 3-pointers again as the Cleveland Cavaliers followed up a big win in Boston with an overtime triumph in Toronto.

Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the extra period and finished with 22 points, LeBron James scored 36, and the Cavaliers beat the Raptors 126-118 on Friday night.

"Road wins continue to establish momentum going down the stretch," James said. "We've played two really good games the last two nights."

Cleveland, which made 10 3-pointers in Thursday's 108-88 victory over the Celtics, got 11 more against Toronto, including six from Williams. The point guard made four 3s in the Cavs' big fourth quarter in Boston.

"It's a deadly weapon for our team," James said. "Last night and also tonight, we shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown praised his team for using quick passes to get open looks from outside.

"Any time you advance the ball on the pass instead of the dribble, you're going to beat players down the floor," Brown said. "When we threw the ball ahead, we were able to get great looks because they weren't all the way back."

Antawn Jamison scored 22 points and Delonte West added 15 for Cleveland, which won its third straight. Anderson Varejao had 11 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter.

Jarrett Jack and Andrea Bargnani each scored 24 points for the Raptors, while Hedo Turkoglu had 18 before fouling out in overtime.

Toronto had the ball with 13 seconds left in regulation but Turkoglu settled for a 3-pointer that missed wide.

"I was feeling good and I wanted to take it, but in that situation I could have taken a better shot instead," Turkoglu said.

Reggie Evans scored a season-high 13 points, Sonny Weems had 11 and Antoine Wright added 10 as Toronto lost consecutive home games for the first time since Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.

The Cavaliers have won 15 of their past 18 meetings with the Raptors.

Jamison topped 20 for the first time in five games with the Cavaliers and said he's becoming more comfortable on offense.

"I'm starting to understand when guys want me to cut and when guys want me to spot up," Jamison said. "There's still a little bit of fine-tuning we've got to do."

Varejao started in place of Shaquille O'Neal, who left Thursday's game with a sprained right thumb. O'Neal is scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday.

Chris Bosh (left ankle) missed his fourth straight game for Toronto, with Rasho Nesterovic replacing him in the starting lineup. Toronto, which lost to Portland on Wednesday, is 2-2 without Bosh.

Cleveland led 105-98 with 3:39 to go, but Bargnani hit a step-back jumper, Turkoglu made a reverse layup and Wright made a pair from the line to cut it to 105-104 with 2:12 remaining.

James ended the run with two free throws, but Turkoglu tied it with a 3-pointer from the wing, then gave Toronto a 109-107 lead with a follow dunk on Jack's missed layup with 50 seconds left.

James tied it with a layup, Jack made two free throws and James answered with another driving layup, making it 111-all with 13 seconds remaining.

Toronto gave the ball to Turkoglu, but he missed a 3-pointer from the wing, giving Cleveland a second for a final shot. After a timeout, the Cavaliers gave the ball to Anthony Parker, but he missed a 3 at the buzzer.

The Raptors never challenged in the extra session, shooting 1 for 8.

James went down wincing after he was kneed in the thigh in a collision with DeMar DeRozan in the first half. He fell heavily again in the second half, landing on the ball.

"Not a good day for me," James said. "It still hurts. Its one of those things that won't go away for a while. It'll be a few days before I'll be 100 percent again."

James stayed in the game after the first incident and later threw down a driving dunk, forced a steal and made one free throw, then hit a 3-pointer after Cleveland grabbed the rebound on his missed second shot.

The spurt put the Cavaliers up 10, and they led by as many as 12 before Toronto rallied, cutting it to 33-30 after one quarter.

The Raptors kept it close through the second, and Wright's 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in the half tied it at 60 heading into the break.

Canada, US dispute gold in men's hockey

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Neighborhood rivals Canada and the United States will meet Sunday for the gold medal in men's hockey, the home favorite against the surprise top seed looking for its first Olympic title since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

Canada advanced Friday with a 3-2 win over Slovakia in the semifinals, while the Americans routed Finland 6-1.

Sunday's game will be rematch of the 2002 Salt Lake City gold medal game, won 5-2 by Canada. It's also a rematch of last Sunday's stunning 5-3 win by the U.S. in round-robin play, a result that nearly derailed the Canadians from the mission that the entire country feels must be accomplished — winning the gold medal of the national sport on home soil.

"I can't wait," Canada forward Jarome Iginla said. "We love the chance of playing them again. There's a lot of rivalries with them — from world juniors through the ladies. They beat us. Now we have the opportunity to play them again. It's going to be exciting, for the gold medal."

The are plenty of questions to be answered in the Olympic final.

Can the U.S. repeat its well-earned initial victory over Canada? Will the Canadians succumb to the pressure of playing a gold-medal game before its more-than-demanding home fans? Can the U.S. win an Olympic hockey gold outside of the United States for the first time, and on the 50th anniversary of its surprise victory at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games? Can Canadian star Sidney Crosby, a Stanley Cup champion in the NHL at age 21, add an Olympic gold at age 22?

Canada's 2002 victory was huge, but this game should be even bigger. Then, the U.S. hadn't already beaten Canada, and this Canadian team was hyped as the best since NHL players first began appearing in the Olympics in 1998. The passion got an early start Friday when chants of "We Want U.S.A.!" rang out during the Canadians' victory, and "We Want Canada!" was heard during the Americans' win.

The way Canada is playing now, outscoring Germany, Russia and Slovakia 18-7 since that U.S. loss, it probably will be favored again. That's OK with American players such as defenseman Jack Johnson, who said he heard no talk before leaving for Vancouver that the United States beat the Canadians.

However, it is the U.S. that is unbeaten in Vancouver. And it was the Americans who had the easier time Friday, scoring six goals in the first 13 minutes against Finland.

The first four came on seven shots against Miikka Kiprusoff, whose stellar play had put the Finns into the medal contention. Kiprusoff was then replaced by Niklas Backstrom, who allowed two goals on the next four U.S. shots.

Patrick Kane scored twice, and Ryan Malone, Zach Parise, Eric Johnson, and Paul Stastny each had one goal for the Americans.

"It was a crazy 12 minutes," Kane said. "I've never been a part of something like that. It seemed like we were scoring every shift."

The lead was so comfortable that the U.S. pulled goalie Ryan Miller with 11:31 left in the game, giving backup Tim Thomas his first appearance in the tournament.

"We haven't won anything yet," Parise said. "We're getting better and that's the most important and rewarding thing."

Canada seemed to be cruising as well when Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow and Ryan Getzlaf scored in the opening 24 minutes against Slovakia, but Lubomir Visnovsky and Michal Handzus netted less than four minutes apart in the third period to set up a tense finish.

But the Canadians held on, setting up a payback game on what is sure to be a memorable final day of the Vancouver Olympics.

"I don't know if you need revenge when you are in the final," Crosby said. "You probably don't need any more motivation than that. This is going to be our biggest test yet."

Lakers turn back 76ers

LOS ANGELES — Pau Gasol had 23 points and 11 assists, Kobe Bryant added 19 points and eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers held the Philadelphia 76ers to one field goal over the final 3:40 of a 99-90 victory Friday night.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for publicly criticizing the officiating following Wednesday's 101-96 loss at Dallas, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Samuel Dalembert had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, and Andre Iguodala chipped in with 13 points and 10 assists. The only other time this season that a 76ers player had double digits in assists was on Nov. 13, when Iguodala had 10 against Utah in a 112-90 home loss.

The 76ers were trying for consecutive road victories over the Lakers for the first time since 1983-84 after Iguodala's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave them a 94-93 victory on March 17, 2009.

Bryant, who made just nine of 23 shots against Dallas after hitting a game-winning 3-pointer at Memphis the previous night in his return to the lineup from a sprained left ankle, attempted only two shots over the first 20 minutes against the 76ers and finished 7 for 16 from the field.

In a game that had 23 lead changes, seven ties and just 13 fouls called through the first three quarters, neither club led by more than six points until Jordan Farmar hit a 19-footer with 6:52 remaining to give the defending NBA champions an 85-78 lead. The 76ers got as close as two points twice.

With Cleveland and Denver both winning, the Lakers still trail the Cavaliers by 1½ games for the NBA's best record and maintained their 4½-game margin over the Nuggets in the West with a nationally televised showdown against Denver coming up on Sunday.

Philadelphia has lost five of seven, following a season-best, five-game winning streak that included games against New Jersey and Minnesota — the teams with the two worst records in the league. Allen Iverson, on an indefinite leave of absence because of his 4-year-old daughter's illness, missed his third straight game and eighth in the last 11.

Jordan reaches deal to buy Bobcats

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael Jordan has struck a deal to buy controlling interest of the Charlotte Bobcats, putting the former NBA superstar in charge of the money-losing team in his home state.

Traci Blunt, a spokeswoman for owner Bob Johnson, told The Associated Press that Jordan was able to put together an ownership group late Friday to buy the team he has been a part-owner of since 2006. Jordan has been running the team's basketball operations.

The purchase price and details of Jordan's ownership group — called MJ Basketball Holdings LLC — weren't immediately available. Blunt said Johnson would have no further comment.

Former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos also bid on the Bobcats and didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

NBA commissioner David Stern announced at All-Star weekend that a deal was imminent, but the league's owners must still approve the purchase.

It will end Johnson's stint as the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team, while giving Hall of Famer Jordan a new venture.

Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and has made millions selling sneakers, apparel and other items. Now he'll begin a completely different role trying to make the Bobcats a winner, and the franchise and Charlotte's downtown arena profitable.

After paying $300 million for the expansion franchise that began play in 2004-05, Johnson has lost tens of millions of dollars each season as the Bobcats have struggled to draw fans and find sponsorships.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, recruited Jordan to be a minority investor and gave him the final say on all basketball decisions.

Jordan has had a unique role with the Bobcats. While he has run the basketball operations, he's not officially a team employee and rarely attends practices or games, or does work on the marketing side of the operation.

Jordan has had some missteps — drafting the disappointing Adam Morrison No. 3 overall in 2006 — but he was also able to lure Hall of Famer Larry Brown to become coach at the beginning of last season.

Jordan and Brown have made seven trades involving 21 players since the start of last season. The November acquisition of Stephen Jackson from Golden State has helped Charlotte get into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.

'King' James carries Giants to 2-0 Finals lead

James Yap rallied Purefoods from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit before Kerby Raymundo nailed the game-winning free throw in the Giants' thrilling 86-85 come-from-behind victory over theAlaska Aces Friday in their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

The former league most valuable player (MVP) came through with a new conference high of 32 points behind an 8-of-9 shooting from the foul line and 4-of-6 from the three-point range.

Two of those booming treys came at the height of a big Purefoods onslaught as the Giants fought back from a 78-64 deficit in the final five minutes of a tense match that saw anAlaska fan fell unconscious just as Game 2 is nearing its climax at the rocking Araneta Coliseum.


The last of Yap's game-high output finally put the Giants on top, 85-84, as Joe DeVance fouled the former University of the East stalwart while going baseline in the final 14 seconds.

Raymundo then preserved Purefoods big comeback victory as he sank the front-end of his two free throws caused by another DeVance foul with 1.7 seconds to make it 86-85, before intentionally missing the second one that resulted in a mad scramble for the rebound as time expired.

Just as pandemonium broke inside the Big Dome, coach Tim Cone and team manager Joaqui Trillo stormed into the side of the league's technical committee, angrily confronting officials and the referees for making that crucial, game-deciding call with the outcome of the match on the line.

Coming in the heels of their 81-77 win in the opener, Purefoods now leads the best-of-seven series, 2-0.

Game 3 is set Sunday also at the Big Dome, with the Giants seeking a sixth straight win, counting the three consecutive they pulled off in their semifinals series with the San Miguel Beermen.

"We can't afford to relax. We must never let up since the series is far from over," said the popular Purefoods shooting guard after the game.

Rafi Reavies, one of the unsung heroes in Game 1, came through big-time with 17 points while Raymundo added 14. His five-point cluster, including a clutch trey, helped the Giants overcome a six-point deficit inside the final two minutes to close to within, 84-83.

The Aces were paced by L.A. Tenorio's 19 points as the brilliant playmaker went 5-of-6 from three-point range. His soft jumper at the two-minute mark gaveAlaska an 82-76 lead.

De Vance finished with 12, including the Aces' final three points. His split charities with 11 seconds to go tied the game for the last time at 85-all. GMANews.TV

Scores:

Purefoods 86 - Yap J. 32, Reavis 17, Raymundo 14, Allado 5, Maierhofer 4, Canaleta 4, Artadi 4, Pingris 3, Yap R. 3, Simon 0, Adducul 0.

Alaska 85 - Tenorio 19, De VAnce 12, Miller 12, Dela Cruz 9, Thoss 8, Ferriols 8, Cablay 8, Hugnatan 6, Borboran 3, Fonacier 0, Cariaso 0.

Quarter scores: 28-18, 48-39, 57-62, 86-85.

TNT, Coke imports known

Talk 'N Text will have former University of Cincinnati player Eric Hicks as its reinforcement while James Penny has agreed in principle to play anew for Coca-Cola in the next PBA conference � the Fiesta Cup.

"Just confirmed last night (Thursday)," said TNT mentor Chot Reyes when asked Friday if they have already an import for the Fiesta Cup starts on March 21.

Hicks, regarded as a reliable inside player, is set to arrive on Monday.

TNT hopes to do better in the Fiesta Cup after failing to retain the Philippine Cup title when it lost to Barangay Ginebra in a five-game quarterfinal series, 3-2.

After his stint with the UC Bearcats, the 6-foot-6 Hicks played professional basketball for Telindus BC Oostende in Belgium, Polpak Swiecie in Poland and CSK VVS Samara in Russia.

His experience playing in the NBA Summer League where he suited up for Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is expected to serve TNT in good stead.

Hicks averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his last stint in the tough Euro League.

Coke, on the other hand, will have the 6-foot-5 Penny only if he can join the team in Dubai for an invitational tournament set March 5.

Penny just finished playing in Mexico and the Tigers are expecting his arrival on Monday.

"He's actually third on our list, but he's the first available player for the Dubai meet," Coke head coach Bo Perasol said. "I'm hoping that if he plays for us in Dubai, Penny will be the first and lastimport for us in the PBA."

"It's a tough tournament in Dubai. Teams are allowed to bring three imports. We don't want to play there just for the sake of competing, we want to use that to jumpstart our campaign in the PBA with a winning attitude," he added.

Perasol also said that having Penny, who powered Red Bull (now Barako Bull) to the Fiesta Cup title in 2006, in the Dubai meet will give him time to adjust particularly with new teammates like rookie guard Chris Ross and sophomore playmaker Marvin Cruz.

Purefoods, which leads Alaska, 1-0, in the best-of-seven Philippine Cup Finals, is eyeing several imports, including Reggie Larry.

The 6-foot-5 Larry almost made it to the team in last season's Fiesta Cup but suffered an injury during a practice game. The Giants replaced him with Brian Hamilton, and then Jahmar Thorpe before settling with Marquin Chandler.

Air21 (formerly Burger King) will also compete in the Dubai meet and the Express are expected to bring their import Leroy Hickerson.

Aside from TNT, Coke and Air21, other ball clubs already with import are defending champion San Miguel with reigning Best Import winner Gabe Freeman, Ginebra will have former NBA campaigner Awvee Storey, and Rain or Shine has tabbed anew Jai Lewis.

Sta. Lucia is finalizing its deal for the return of Anthony Johnson, while still searching for their imports are Alaska and Barako Bull

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Williams scores 14 in 4th to help Cavs beat Celtics

BOSTON — The Celtics were better early, then LeBron James and the Cavaliers blew right by them.

Story of this game.

Story of the season.

James had 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, Mo Williams scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland dominated the second half in a 108-88 victory Thursday night.

Unable to stop Rajon Rondo or the Celtics in the first quarter, the Cavaliers turned up the defense in the fourth, limiting the Celtics to 3-of-21 shooting and snapping a nine-game losing streak in Boston, counting playoffs.

"We haven't had much success here," James said. "We've lost nine times coming into this building. So it gets the monkey off our backs. But don't read too much into it."

James kept the Cavaliers in it for three quarters on a night they lost Shaquille O'Neal to a first-half thumb injury, then Williams made four 3-pointers when Cleveland outscored Boston 35-14.

"I think in the second half our level of aggressiveness really stepped up on both ends of the floor," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "There was no panic among our guys. We knew 24 minutes was a lot of time. We just started chipping away from it."

Ray Allen scored 21 points, and Rondo had 19 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who badly missed injured All-Star Paul Pierce (right thumb) when their offense went stagnant in the final 1½ quarters.

"They were a lot more aggressive in the second half. They made adjustments to stop Rondo's penetration," Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. "We knew it was a real big test. We can't play one half and relax."

Cleveland improved to 20-10 on the road, tying Boston for the best in the NBA, and avenged a 95-89 home loss on opening night.

That came back when Boston looked like the class of the Eastern Conference while the Cavaliers struggled early. But the Celtics have been unable to stay healthy and Cleveland has left the Celtics and everyone else in the East behind, opening a 5½-game lead over Orlando while dropping Boston 7½ games back in a tie with Atlanta.

This game followed a similar path. Boston was much better early inside a rocking TD Garden, but most of the green-clad fans were gone before the final minutes after the deeper Cavaliers wore them down.

Cleveland outscored Boston 60-32 in the second half, allowing just five baskets in the final 17½ minutes.

"When they were scoring that much, it was deflating. Took our wind away," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We went from being a team with stops and attacking to the team being attacked."

The Cavaliers trailed for nearly all the first three quarters, then quickly took control in the fourth. Williams' basket gave them the lead for good at 79-78 with 9:13 to play, and he drilled consecutive 3-pointers to extend it to 93-83 with 5½ minutes remaining.

James had the next four points to make it a 14-point game in another big night against the NBA's most storied franchise. He came in averaging 30.2 points against Boston, just shy of Michael Jordan's 30.7 mark for best in NBA history.

He had to do a little extra after O'Neal appeared to be hurt when Celtics forward Glen Davis whacked his hand while trying to block a shot with about 7½ minutes left in the second quarter. O'Neal left for good about 30 seconds later, and the report said he had a "significant" right thumb sprain.

And they are without a backup center for now after trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington before the trade deadline. The Wizards waived Ilgauskas on Thursday after reaching agreement on a buyout, and he could decide to rejoin his former teammates after waiting the mandatory 30 days.

Cleveland had struggled defensively since the trade, a pattern that continued Thursday. The Celtics made 10 of their first 13 shots, with Rondo making five of the baskets and assisting on the other five. His layup with 33 seconds left gave Boston a 31-21 lead after one quarter. – AP

Billups fires 37 as Nuggets hold off Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. — Chauncey Billups had 37 points and nine rebounds, Carmelo Anthony added 27 points and Denver beat Golden State 127-112 on Thursday night in the Nuggets' first game without coach George Karl since he revealed he has throat cancer.

Karl, who disclosed he has cancer Feb. 16, stayed in Denver to receive treatment but is expected back Friday night at home against Detroit. Assistant Adrian Dantley directed the team against the Warriors.

J.R. Smith had 25 points while helping the Nuggets set a season high with 16 3-pointers. Smith and Billups and six 3s apiece.

Stephen Curry had 30 points and 13 assists for Golden State, which has lost 13 of its last 16 to drop to 16-41.

Denver led comfortably most of the night, though the Nuggets got sloppy at times. Twice they allowed Golden State to whittle big leads down to single digits, but answered each time to turn the Warriors away while extending their lead to a full-game over Utah in the Northwest Division.

Denver built a 19-point lead midway through the second quarter, made nine 3-pointers in the first half and got another All-Star effort from Billups, who had 19 of points before intermission.

Anthony added 10 points, and Ty Lawson, who sprained his left thumb in practice Tuesday, added eight to help the Nuggets take a 65-56 halftime lead.

They also survived without leading rebounder Kenyon Martin in the second half. Martin limped off the court just before halftime after hitting knees with another. He was initially expected to return but spent the rest of the game on the bench.

Golden State has had injury issues of its own all season and it didn't get any better against the Nuggets. C.J. Watson was held out of the game with flu-like symptoms and a team spokesman indicated Watson might also be suffering from appendicitis.

That left Golden State with only three guards — Ellis, Curry and Anthony Morrow — which made it tough to keep up with the speedy Nuggets.

The Warriors made a brief run in the fourth quarter, pulling within 106-100 on Morrow's four-point play with 8:13 remaining, but Billups made a short, off-balance flip-shot then later made a perfect alley-oop pass to Smith, and Anthony followed that up with an 18-foot jumper to make it 115-103.

Denver, 13-10 against teams with sub-.500 records, completed a four-game sweep of Golden State for the first time since 2000-01. – AP

Kim Yu-na wins gold with record score

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Kim Yu-na put one hand to her mouth and let the tears flow.

All that pressure, so many expectations. The "Queen" took it all on and delivered royally.

The South Korean won the Olympic gold medal Thursday night, soaring to a world-record 228.56 points and shattering her previous mark by more than 18 points. It may go down as one of the greatest performances in figure skating history, and it's sure to set off wild celebrations from Seoul to Pyongchang. It's South Korea's first medal at the Winter Olympics in a sport other than speedskating.

Even Kim seemed to be dazzled by the show she put on, gasping when she saw the monstrous score. Coach Brian Orser gave a Rocky-like victory pump, shaking his clasped fists over each shoulder.

Longtime rival Mao Asada of Japan won the silver medal, but it was no contest — even with Asada landing both her triple axels, one in combination with a double toe loop. Joannie Rochette, skating four days after the sudden death of her mother, won the bronze, giving Canada its first women's medal since Liz Manley's silver in 1988.

The Americans, meanwhile, are going home without at least one medal for only the second time since 1952. The other time? 1964, three years after a plane crash wiped out the entire U.S. team on its way to the world championships.

Mirai Nagasu was fourth while U.S. champion Rachael Flatt dropped to seventh.

Kim came in bearing almost incomprehensible pressure. Not only was the reigning world champ the biggest favorite since Katarina Witt in 1988 — she's lost just one competition over the last two seasons — she carried the weight of an entire nation on her slim shoulders.

The most popular athlete in South Korea, she's been dubbed "Queen Yu-na" — check out the sparkly crowns that twinkle in her ears — and she needs bodyguards whenever she returns home from her training base in Toronto. Anything she does creates a frenzy, and even a simple practice draws a rinkful of photographers.

Kim seemed to shrug it all off earlier this week, saying after the short program that it felt like any other competition. But it was clear Thursday that it meant so much more.

There were simply no flaws in her performance, from her skating to her expressions to that lovely cobalt blue dress. While other skaters slow down as they approach their jumps to steady themselves, she hurtles into them at full speed yet touches down with pillow-like softness. Her connecting steps are like art on ice, and her edge quality is so fine there is not even the slightest hint of a harsh scrape, just the sound of her crisp edge. Her spins are centered so perfectly the tracings look as if they were made with a protractor, and she's got be quadruple-jointed with all the positions she manages in her combination spins.

But what really makes her transcendent is her performance skills. She breathed life into Gershwin's "Concerto in F," moving across the ice like notes on a score. As the music lifted the first time, she put one hand on the small of her back and gave a flirty little smile that set shutters clicking throughout the building.

When she finished, you could almost see the pressure fall away as Kim bent over and cried. The tears fell no matter how hard she tried to blink them back, and she held up her hands helplessly when she reached Orser. So many stuffed toys and flowers littered the ice the full complement of sweepers had to be deployed — not once, but twice.

It almost wasn't fair that Asada, skating next, had to try and one-up that.

She couldn't. Not even close.

Asada, who has swapped titles with Kim since their junior days, is one of the few women who even tries a points-packing triple axel, and she did two on this night. But she melted down later, stumbling on the footwork into her triple toe and forcing her to cut it to a single.

Asada looked stone-faced as she waited for her marks. She didn't even crack a smile when she got her silver medal. – AP

Controversy: S. Korea DQ'd in short track relay, China gets gold

Another Olympics, another short track speedskating controversy involving South Korea.

Eight years after Kim Dong-Sung had his gold medal stripped when judges determined he cut off Apolo Anton Ohno, the country was served another crushing disqualification when its women's 3,000 meter relay team had gold taken away when it was ruled that a skater had illegally bumped a Chinese competitor on a turn. The DQ moved China to the gold medal position and gave the United States a surprise bronze.

If the disqualification of Kim Dong-Sung in 2002 is any indication, South Koreans will be irate with the decision. According to Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, in the hours after Kim's DQ, his fans flooded IOC servers with 16,000 angry emails protesting the call. It certainly won't help matters that the ref who disqualified Kim eight years ago was the same ref who made the fateful decision Wednesday in Vancouver.

Yes, South Korea, Jim Hewish did it to you again. The chief referee was in a precarious situation though. The offending bump was obvious, but it wasn't clear that it should lead to a disqualification. Relays tend to be judged a little looser than regular short track events, so there was thought that Hewish might let the contact go. But after three minutes of deliberation, he decided that the bump had impeded China's progress.

It wasn't the wrong call, but it wasn't the right one either. Short track rulings are judgment calls and this was the definition of one. The ruling was a no-win proposition that was going to make one side furious no matter what.

By sliding into bronze medal position, the Americans won the nation's first short track women's medals since 1994. It seemed to be a bittersweet moment for the quartet. They seemed pleased with the bronze but also had looks that suggested that they knew they hadn't earned one. It's an appropriate sentiment at the time -- how much should one really celebrate lucking onto the podium -- but one that should hopefully fade over time. They may have backed into bronze, but as the fourth-best relay team in the world. Don't say it wasn't earned.

Ana Ivanovic to play in Billie Jean King Cup

NEW YORK — Ana Ivanovic will play in the Billie Jean King Cup in New York on March 1 as a replacement for Serena Williams.

Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, also played in the one-night exhibition event last year at Madison Square Garden.

"I feel honored to have the opportunity to come back to New York," Ivanovic said on a conference call from San Diego where she is preparing for next month's Indian Wells tournament in California.

"It's definitely an exciting city to play in," she said. "The crowd is amazing. I remember it last year, it was exciting."

Ivanovic was announced as a replacement last week for Serena Williams. The 12-time Grand Slam singles champion had to pull out of the event because of a left leg injury. The leg injury has also forced Williams to miss tournaments in Paris and Dubai.

Ivanovic will face Kim Clijsters in the four-player field and Svetlana Kuznetsova will play Venus Williams in the other match.

"It's going to be a great match," Ivanovic said of facing Clijsters, who won the U.S. Open last year after a brief retirement. "Seeing her come back to win a Grand Slam was a great achievement."

Ivanovic recently hired Steffi Graf's former coach, Heinz Gunthardt, to help end a slump. She said the Billie Jean King Cup is a chance to work with Gunthardt.

"It's a great opportunity." she said.

Ivanovic is ranked No. 26 and was knocked out in the second round of the Australian Open last month. – AP

Nowitzki, Terry lift shorthanded Mavs past Lakers

DALLAS — While most of the focus in recent days was on the newest members of the team, it was two of the longest-tenured Dallas Mavericks who carried them in the clutch against the defending champs.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points, Jason Terry added 30 and the short-handed Mavericks won their fifth straight game, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 101-96 on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks acquired Caron Butler, who did not play because of a negative reaction he had to medication, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson in a seven-player deal with Washington on Feb. 13.

Los Angeles star Kobe Bryant praised the trade during the All-Star break, saying it made the Mavericks a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before Wednesday's game that the new-look Dallas squad would be better defensively.

Down the stretch, however, the Mavs relied on Nowitzki and Terry, who scored 22 of Dallas' final 23 points.

"This is our type of ballgame," said Terry, who along with Erick Dampier joined the Mavericks in 2004 and trails only Nowitzki in service time with the team. "Any time in the fourth quarter and the game is close, it's going to be up to myself, (Jason Kidd) or Dirk to get the win. I think we welcome that challenge and we don't need to change it right now."

Bryant scored 20 points and moved into 13th place on the career scoring list. Bryant, who passed Reggie Miller, has 25,298 points.

After hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to beat Memphis on Tuesday night, Bryant missed a 3-pointer that could have tied it with 25 seconds left.

"We play this team extremely well," Bryant said. "We wanted to come in here and put a stop to them."

Bryant returned against the Grizzlies after missing the last five games with a left ankle injury. He shot 9 of 23 and missed four of six attempts in the fourth quarter.

"I thought he got other guys involved," Jackson said. "He was probably a little fatigued and tried to help the other guys get going."

Lamar Odom led Los Angeles with 21 points, Ron Artest had 13 and Derek Fisher finished with 12.

Kidd had 14 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds for the Mavericks, who improved to 5-1 since the trade with the Wizards. Haywood chipped in 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

Neither team led by more than nine in a game went back-and-forth throughout. There were 24 lead changes and eight ties.

Dallas and Los Angeles split the four-game season series. The Lakers won the previous two meetings, including a 100-95 victory on Jan. 13 in which Bryant played, but was hobbled for most of the game.

"This was a big win," Nowitzki said. "They had everybody (healthy) this time. They really embarrassed us that one time out there and then stole one here. It was big for us to tie it up at 2-2."

Terry hit a 3-pointer that made it 90-84. After Bryant scored to make it 90-86, Nowitzki answered with a 17-footer that stretched the lead back to six with 3:18 remaining.

Haywood hit a free throw, the only point over the final 10:46 not scored by Nowitzki and Terry, to make it 93-86. Nowitzki stripped the ball from Andrew Bynum, starting a fast break that ended with Terry's layup and pushed Dallas' lead to 95-86 with 2:20 left.

Los Angeles went on a 8-2 run to trim its deficit to three. Odom hit a 3-pointer and Bryant drove for a layup to make it 97-94 with 57.9 seconds left.

Shawn Marion missed a short jumper, setting up the Lakers for what appeared to be another late comeback after they rallied to beat Memphis one night earlier.

Bryant's 25-footer went long, and Terry and Nowitzki combined to make four free throws to seal the victory.

"We've been playing pretty good defense with the new guys," Kidd said. "This was another example where our shots weren't going down, but we relied on our defense and got some stops. Then we made some big shots down the stretch."

This was the teams' first matchup since the Mavericks made the trade with the Wizards.

The Mavericks were without one of those acquisitions when the team announced just before the tip that Butler wasn't going to play.

Stevenson started in Butler's place and guarded Bryant for most of the first quarter. Bryant struggled early, missing his first five shots.

Bryant had a couple of baskets to cap a 10-0 run late in the second quarter. He hit an off-balance 13-footer, his first points of the game, and followed with another basket to give the Lakers a 48-39 lead with 2:58 left in the first half.

Dallas closed with a 10-2 surge before halftime. Terry, who had 18 points in the first half, hit three free throws, to bring the Mavericks within 50-49.

The Mavericks grabbed the lead by scoring the first six points of the third quarter.

Kidd closed the quarter with a 29-footer from beyond the arc just before the buzzer sounded, putting Dallas up 74-72. – AP

Hatfield to the rescue

Rudy Hatfield will end almost a three-year leave from the PBA and resume playing for Barangay Ginebra in the coming Fiesta Conference starting March 21.

After losing to Alaska in a 4-0 series sweep in the recent Philippine Cup semifinals, the Kings could use a fiery rebounder like Hatfield to get back in title contention. He will be a vital piece in the puzzle that coach Joseph Uichico is consolidating for the future.

Hatfield's agent Bill Rosmarino confirmed yesterday that the H-Bomb from the University of Michigan at Dearborn has signed a one-year contract with Ginebra and will arrive from the US late March.

"Rudy is already preparing his body for battle," said Rosmarino. "I'm just so excited. This has been nearly three years of waiting. It will be so nice to watch, as aHatfield fan, the new improved 110 percent version. With his new mindset, rest and heart, you can only imagine what Rudy will do on the court for Ginebra."

Hatfield, 32, took a leave of absence from Ginebra in 2007 for personal reasons. The 6-6 power forward, whose mother is Filipina, has played six years in the PBA, averaging 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds.

In an exclusive STAR interview, Hatfield vowed to return with a bang.

"Don't think for one second I'm gonna walk on the floor and let anyone walk all over me," he said. "I'm comin' to play. I'm comin' to wrestle. And I'm comin' to win. There's nothing new to expect. I don't have any new moves. I haven't been given some miraculous pill that has me flying out of the gym and I won't suddenly become a pure shooter. What you will see is me diving on the floor again, running up and down like a caged animal that has just been let loose and 110 percent of tenacious intensity.""

Hatfield said he is well informed about developments in the PBA and can't wait to play for the Kings.

"What an awesome time playing for Ginebra is going to be," he continued. "I've been following the PBA since I left and I definitely know what's going on. I remember telling Eric (Menk) about J. C. (Intal) while he was at Ateneo and saying, ‘Look at the hops on this guy.' It looks as if he's become more than just a leaper."

Hatfield said he has kept in shape playing in leagues but admitted he's not in PBA condition at the moment.

"I plan on being ready," he went on. "The good thing is I still weigh the same as when I left so I won't have to worry about getting rid of extra weight. You know, if anything, I'll be in shape. Maybe not as good right away but I'll surely be able to get up and down the floor."

Since leaving the country, Hatfield said he has found new meaning in his life with wife Bethany and their two children Bella, 5, and Lylah, 1, embracing the Christian faith.

For about 10 days last November, Hatfield quietly came to town for missionary work with the Northridge Church of Plymouth, Michigan. He visited schools, staged puppet shows for kids, conducted basketball clinics and delivered personal testimonials. Two highlights ofHatfield 's brief visit were explaining to kids a fun way to remember the 10 commandments and providing disaster relief for typhoon Ondoy victims.

"After about a year of researching, speaking with God, receiving so many signs and just putting myself out there to believe, I was finally saved," he said. "My old life was put to death and I was reborn. I now truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that if we believe in His death for our sins, His resurrection as ourselves being resurrected into a new life and that He is the way, truth and the life. By all means, I still sin, I still make mistakes and I have a long, painful journey to go before I'm made into the perfect image of Jesus. But at least I know I can repent and be forgiven and I focus everyday on getting closer to God."

Hatfield said his wife and daughters will make periodic visits to Manila while he's playing in the PBA.

"It will be a great opportunity for my daughters to see a different culture especially for Lylah (who is part Filipino)," he said. "I want my kids to see where their father spent the majority of his growing years."

As for how long he plans to play, Hatfield said it's up to the Lord.

"Right now, the thought is to play until God tells me it's time to move on," he said. "I don't know exactly how long it will be. But what I do know is for the last three years, I've been trying to find a purpose for my life, wondering what God made me for. For about three years, I tried to fool myself that I wasn't made for basketball. I do know now that God gave me a gift and maybe I'm not the most talented basketball player but he gave me something that gets the job done." - Source

Giants take Game 1 of PBA Philippine Cup finals

4 Feb 2010 Purefoods Tender Juicy made key plays in the closing minutes to pull off an 81-77 win in Game 1 of the best-of-7 championship series of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Roger Yap made a crucial offensive rebound and an important tap in the dying seconds to save the game for the Giants for a 1-0 lead in the series.

James Yap led all scorers with 24 points while Kerby Raymundo and Marc Pinrgis added 15 and 13 markers respectively for Purefoods. Pinrgis also had 13 rebounds.

"I may sound a broken record but our defense held on today," said Giants head coach Ryan Gregorio.

"The only way to beat a fluid team like Alaska to play tough defense and limiting them to 77 after averaging more than 100 in the semis is well within our target," he added.

Roger Yap scored only 5 points but had 7 rebounds and 5 assists and made two crucial plays that helped Purefoods escape with the win.

The Giants were holding a 78-74 lead on Rafi Reavis's basket with 2:22 left in the game.

LA Tenorio and Willie Miller missed their attempts in the next possessions of the Aces and Reavis padded their lead to 80-74 with a lay-up, 35.9 seconds remaining.

Miller redeemed himself as he buried a triple to put Alaska back, 77-80, 29.2 seconds left.

The Aces had the chance to come closer when KG Canaleta missed a triple but Roger Yap tapped the ball to Canaleta and was fouled by Tony dela Cruz.

The two-time Slam Dunk champion split his free throws for an 81-77 lead and after Miller lost the ball while going to the hoop, Roger Yap again made an important play by hitting the ball to their frontcourt and wasted precious seconds.

Miller led Alaska with 23 points but shot 9-of-27 from the field. Joe Devance was the only Ace in double figures in scoring with 10. - www.abs-cbnnews.com

Scores:

Purefoods 81 - Yap J. 24, Raymundo 15, Pingris 13, Canaleta 8, Reavis 6, Allado 6, Yap R. 5, Maierhofer 2, Simon 2, Artadi 0.

Alaska 77 - Miller 23, De Vance 10, Thoss 9, Tenorio 8, Hugnatan 8, Borboran 7, Cablay 4, Ferriols 3, Fonacier 0, Cariaso 0.