EZ Sports Online Weblog: June 2005 Archives

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June 27, 2005

Kim Smith

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June 26, 2005

2005 Award Winners

We nominated and you voted. As the season came to a close, NBA.com asked who you thought was most deserving for each of the six major regular-season awards. With your votes tabulated, we now turn to the official vote to see if the media agree with your chosen winners.
Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, Suns guard and reigning MVP Steve Nash, and Spurs forward Tim Duncan headline the All-NBA First Team, announced Wednesday, May 18. O'Neal topped the media voting with his 616 points; Nash received the second-highest support, with 606 points.

It's Duncan's eighth consecutive selection to the All-NBA First Team. Duncan is only the fifth player to make the All-NBA First Team in each of his first eight seasons, joining Hall of Famers Larry Bird, George Mikan, Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Completing the First Team are Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki and Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson.

A week earlier, Pistons center Ben Wallace, who was recently named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, led the voting for the 2004-05 NBA All-Defensive Teams, announced May 12. Wallace, making his fourth consecutive appearance on the All-Defensive First Team, is joined by Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves, two Spurs, Bruce Bowen and Duncan, and Larry Hughes of the Wizards.

After posting an NBA-best 62-20 regular-season record, the Phoenix Suns of course garnered their share of hardware. Nash capped off a memorable return to his original NBA team by being named the league's 2004-05 Most Valuable Player on May 8. The Canadian point man is the sixth guard and just the second international player (Hakeem Olajuwon, 1993-94, Nigeria) to receive the award.

In the fourth-closest voting margin since media began voting on the award in 1980-1981, Nash finished with 1,066 points, including 65 first-place votes. Miami's O'Neal was second with 1,032 points, including 58 first-place votes. Nowitzki, Duncan and Iverson placed third through fifth, respectively.

Meanwhile, the man running the Suns show from the sideline, Mike D'Antoni was awarded the Red Auerbach Trophy as 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year on May 10. The second-year coach is the second Phoenix coach to garner the honor. The late Cotton Fitzsimmons won the award for the 1988-89 season.

Emeka Okafor may have been drafted second, but the Bobcats rookie was No. 1 among the media. Okafor was named the got milk? Rookie of the Year, receiving a total of 514 points, including 77 first-place votes out of a possible 126. Bulls guard Ben Gordon finished second with 443 points, including 43 first-place votes.

Okafor, Gordon and the Magic's Dwight Howard were unanimous selections to the got milk? NBA All-Rookie First Team. Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng of the Sixers and Bulls, respectively, round out the first team.

Gordon made it an awards three-point play by also becoming the first rookie to win the NBA Sixth Man Award. Gordon received 513 out of a possible 625 points, including 88 of a possible 125 first-place votes. Ricky Davis of the Celtics finished second with 257 points and Earl Boykins of the Nuggets finished third with 155 points.

While the Clippers didn't reach the postseason, they can boast an award winner as Bobby Simmons was named Most Improved Player for the 2004-05 season. The award recognizes a player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons. Simmons received a total of 384 points, including 59 first-pace votes, from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

2005 AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player
Fan: Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns (35.3%)
Official: Steve Nash, Phoenix
Suns.com: Nash Tribute
got milk? Rookie of the Year
Fan: Ben Gordon, Chicago (44.2%)
Official: Emeka Okafor, Charlotte
Bobcatsbasketball.com: got mek?
Defensive Player of the Year
Fan: Ben Wallace, Detroit (27.7%)
Official: Ben Wallace, Detroit
Sixth Man Award
Fan: Ben Gordon, Chicago (40.4%)
Official: Ben Gordon, Chicago
Bulls.com: Gordon's Sixth is a first
Most Improved Player
Fan: Dwyane Wade, Miami (43.5%)
Official: Bobby Simmons, L.A. Clippers
Clippers.com: Simmons is MIP
Coach of the Year
Fan: Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix (24.4%)
Official: Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix
Suns.com: D'Antoni Tribute

AWARDS SCHEDULE
Defensive Player: Ben Wallace
Sixth Man Award: Ben Gordon
got milk? Rookie: Emeka Okafor
Most Valuable Player: Steve Nash
Coach of the Year: Mike D'Antoni
Most Improved Player: Bobby Simmons
Kennedy Citzenship: Eric Snow

Announcement dates for the other regular season awards will be released on a week-by-week basis.

Posted by admin at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2005

Celebration: SPURS!!!!! OFFICIAL WINNERS

The NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs got to celebrate their victory with the city today during the Championship Celebration. The team floated down the river lined with thousands of cheering fans before heading over to the packed Alamodome for the final rally.

Posted by admin at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2005

Records fall as Athletics slam Giants 16-0 to finish three-game sweep

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Bobby Crosby batted in each of the first five innings for the first time in his career. Jason Kendall, Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez also had plenty of chances and made the most of them.

All the while, Rich Harden of Victoria waited patiently for Oakland's offence to quit before going back to the mound every inning. Nick Swisher hit a pair of two-run homers, Harden threw seven innings of one-hit ball and the Athletics swept a three-game series from the San Francisco Giants for the first time with a 16-0 win Sunday.
"If you're on their side or on our side, you just forget about it," Chavez said. "But you hope you're not on the other end of it. There's nothing to look into this game. You can't gain anything from it."

The A's matched the franchise record for largest margin of shutout victory, most recently on May 23, 1959, against the White Sox as the Kansas City A's. It broke the Oakland record for biggest shutout win - the previous was 15 on Aug. 30, 2001, at Baltimore.

It was the largest shutout defeat in San Francisco history and matched its biggest loss, which last happened in a 19-3 home defeat against Montreal on May 7, 1997. The Giants also lost to the Cubs 15-0 on Aug. 22, 1970.

"I don't feel sorry for any team," Crosby said.

Afterward in his office, Felipe Alou fiddled with his briefcase and pondered another embarrassing defeat.

"I don't have an explanation," said the 70-year-old San Francisco manager who's seen almost everything during his five decades in baseball. "Anybody here could explain that. How many hits? . . . How many runs?"

Swisher hit a two-run shot in the fourth and another in the fifth for his seventh and eighth of the year and second career multihomer game. The rookie outfielder hit his first homer left-handed for his first opposite-field shot this season and the next right-handed - two pitches after the umpire warned both benches when Jason Christiansen threw near Swisher's feet and he danced out of the way.

It marked the first time an A's player homered from both sides of the plate in one game since Ruben Sierra on June 7, 1994, against Milwaukee. Manager Ken Macha said it was "encouraging" to see Swisher homer to the opposite field.

"When you get in the box, you're not thinking about anything," said Swisher, who recently took the advice of Kendall and hitting coach Dave Hudgens to stand up more in the batter's box.

Swisher has five homers in his last nine games after connecting for a three-run shot in Saturday's win. Kendall and Dan Johnson each drove in three runs, and the A's tied an Oakland record with eight doubles.

Harden (4-3), making his second start since coming off the disabled list last Tuesday, didn't allow a hit until Deivi Cruz's broken-bat single with one out in the fifth. He struck out three and walked one in a 76-pitch performance.

Ron Flores and Kiko Calero finished the one-hitter, continuing Oakland's recent run of dominant pitching.

Harden missed more than a month with a strained stomach muscle.

"It was kind of my goal to come back stronger than when I left," he said.

It was the team's first one-hitter since Cory Lidle threw one in Cleveland on Aug. 21, 2002. Harden combined with three other pitchers on a two-hitter last year against Texas.

Oakland, which began the day out of last place in the AL West for the first time since May 20, won for the eighth time in nine games and 11th in 14, impressing the sellout crowd of 44,633 with its consistent hitting throughout the order.

The A's have won their last five series and seven of eight after winning only five of their first 17. They are 18-8 in 26 games since May 30, the third-best record in the majors during that span.

Crosby and Kotsay each drove in two runs, and six of the A's nine starters had hits after two innings - Crosby already had two. The team's runs and hits (24) were season highs, and the hits were its most since 2000.

Kendall's second-inning double was his first RBI in June, and it snapped a career-long 20-game stretch without driving in a run. He added an RBI single in the third and doubled again in the fourth.

Oakland took four of six meetings in the Bay Bridge Series. After dropping two of three at SBC Park in May, the A's got strong starts from Joe Blanton and Dan Haren in the first two games of this series, and Harden's victory improved the starters to 8-0 in their last nine games.

The Giants never seemed in it mentally.

Brett Tomko (5-10) lost his third straight decision and hasn't won since beating the Mets at Shea Stadium on June 5. He lasted just 2 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the year.

"It's not just the game," Tomko said. "It's been a rough three weeks for me. There's not a whole lot I can say about it. I have to try to regroup and get after it."

The Giants didn't have an error - about the only thing that went right - a day after making an uncharacteristic five.

Notes: Tomko started against the A's for the first time since May 13, 2000, when he won for Seattle. ... Oakland has allowed three or fewer runs in each of its last nine games. ... Swisher also hit two homers April 6 at Baltimore.

Posted by admin at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2005

Annika Sorenstam cruising to another title at LPGA Championship

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. (AP) - Annika Sorenstam showed a vulnerable side to her game Saturday as Laura Davies chipped away at an eight-shot deficit until they were separated by just three shots at the LPGA Championship.
All it took was one hole for Sorenstam to look as unbeatable as ever.
Davies went for broke and wound up in grass that brushed up against her waist, making bogey. Sorenstam executed another flawless shot and made birdie, restoring her big cushion and making the second leg of the Grand Slam look like a mere formality.

All it took was one hole for Sorenstam to look as unbeatable as ever.
Davies went for broke and wound up in grass that brushed up against her waist, making bogey. Sorenstam executed another flawless shot and made birdie, restoring her big cushion and making the second leg of the Grand Slam look like a mere formality.

"It's almost like she's toying with us, like a mouse and cat," Davies said.

Sorenstam is purring right along, posting her record 14th consecutive round in the 60s.

She played the par 5s in 1 over for the second straight day. She finished her third round with a bogey. And she still shot a 3-under 69 to build a five-shot lead going into the final round for the second straight major.

"I'm in a position I want to be in," Sorenstam said. "Hopefully, I can enjoy it tomorrow, play good golf and walk away with the trophy and good memories."

She has been down this road before.

Three months ago and 4,800 kilometres away in the California desert, Sorenstam built a five-shot lead through 54 holes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, delivered an early knockout punch and won by eight shots.

This time, she got plenty of help.

Davies self-destructed by missing putts inside two feet, squandered her hopes with a bad drive on the 16th and ended a frustrating day with a double-bogey for a 2-over 74 that left her seven shots behind, all but ending her shot at winning to get into the Hall of Fame.

"It's a race for second place," Davies said.

Sorenstam, who was at 12-under 204, will be paired in the final round with Young Kim, who had a 68 and was one of the few players who put up a steady fight on a scorching afternoon at Bulle Rock.

Michelle Wie held her own, too.

The 15-year-old from Hawaii punched a wedge into three feet for birdie on the 18th hole and a 1-under 71, leaving her in a five-way tie for third at 211. But just like everyone else, the prospects of winning are bleak as ever - in part because of the margin, primarily because of the player they are chasing.

"Anything is possible," Wie said. "I'll just put the ball so close to the hole I won't have to putt."

Wie will play in the second-to-last group with Jeong Jang, who shot a 69. Also at 5-under 211 were Natalie Gulbis, who bogeyed three of her first four holes but recovered for a 73, and Moira Dunn (72).

A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, B.C., shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 28th at 1 over, while Dawn Coe-Jones of Lake Cowichan, B.C., is tied for 64th after a 73 left her at 6 over. Lorie Kane of Charlottetown carded 75 and is tied for 69th at 8 over.

Davies was the only one who threatened Sorenstam until one bad shot wrecked a tremendous comeback.

After four birdies on the back nine to get within three shots, Davies again took a crack with her driver on the 330-yard 16th hole. This one strayed far to the right into grass so thick that even with her strength, Davies whacked a wedge with all her might to move it some 30 feet.

She hit a wedge to six feet and missed the putt for bogey, while Sorenstam hit a sand wedge out of the rough to 10 feet for a birdie, a two-shot swing that was devastating to Davies' chances.

Sorenstam poured it on with another birdie from six feet on the 17th, and Davies finished by hitting an iron off the tee and into the rough, then three-putting for double bogey.

"When you're trying to win, sometimes you mess up," Davies said. "Playing against someone as good as Annika, you've got to try to do something a bit different. This is a hard golf course to be forcing it."

Sorenstam didn't need to take those risks.

"I know what Laura is all about," Sorenstam said. "As a spectator, it's fun to watch. I try not to watch too much. She plays with her heart. I like to say I play with my brain."

It doesn't take a genius to figure out this conclusion.

Sorenstam has only blown a five-shot lead once in her career, at the 2001 State Farm Classic when Kate Golden closed with a 63. Still, that came at a time when Sorenstam wasn't nearly this dominant.

She already has won five of seven tournaments this year. She has won her last six tournaments when leading going into the final round.

"I've worked hard to get here," Sorenstam said. "I'm not going to be in my own way and let it slip away unless somebody comes out and player very, very solid. I'm here to play my best."

A victory would give her the second leg of the Grand Slam, with the U.S. Women's Open only two weeks away at Cherry Hills and no one close to Sorenstam in golf.

For Davies, it was a golden opportunity to earn the final two points she needs for the Hall of Fame, although she let it get away from her quickly, and at times, shockingly.

Haunted by putting woes that have contributed to four years without an LPGA Tour victory, Davies missed an 18-inch par putt on the opening hole, and a two-foot putt on the ninth hole to make double bogey.

Sorenstam knocked in a four-foot birdie putt at No. 1, and just like that, her lead doubled to four shots. That's when the murmurs began among the 20,000 fans at Bulle Rock that it would be another ceremonial Sunday at an LPGA major.

The players in front of her continued to drop shots, a testament to the course getting tougher. Sorenstam surged ahead, a testament to the best player in the game.

Posted by admin at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2005

Robert Horry's hustle sets energetic tone for Spurs

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The San Antonio Spurs have Robert Horry halfway to a sixth NBA championship ring. The 13-year forward put himself in some pretty impressive company.

Horry won two titles with the Houston Rockets in the mid-1990s and three with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02. He has never played in the final without winning the title.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The San Antonio Spurs have Robert Horry halfway to a sixth NBA championship ring. The 13-year forward put himself in some pretty impressive company.

Horry won two titles with the Houston Rockets in the mid-1990s and three with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02. He has never played in the final without winning the title.
The man known for making big three-pointers in late-game situations hit two from beyond the arc Sunday night in the Spurs' 97-76 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 on Sunday night. Those were the 41st and 42nd threes he hit in the final, tying him with Michael Jordan for the most in a career.

Horry led the Spurs in steals Sunday night with four, moving him past Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - and into a tie with Danny Ainge - for seventh on the all-time final list with 46.

In the second quarter, he showed his current teammates how much he wants that sixth ring.

He fought for a rebound early in the period and started a fast break that Tim Duncan finished with a layup to give the Spurs a 34-25 lead.

Horry, trailing on the break, then picked off Rasheed Wallace's inbounds pass and launched a three-pointer that was off the mark. Antonio McDyess got the rebound, but Horry stepped in front of the outlet pass for his second steal in an eight-second span.

Later in the quarter he made a three-pointer, fed Manu Ginobili for a 19-foot jumper and drove for a layup that put San Antonio up 51-33, the Spurs' biggest lead of the first half.

And in the final seconds of the second quarter, with his team still comfortably ahead, Horry made his third steal of the period. This time he dived to take the ball away from Chauncey Billups and quickly called a timeout to give the Spurs the final possession of the half, which ended with two free throws by Ginobili.

"Robert had a great first half. He looked like he was 26, 27," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of the 34-year-old. "He summons up the energy for that once in a while."

Horry made another three-pointer in the game's closing minutes and finished with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and the four steals in 28 minutes.

Posted by admin at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)

Clint Bowyer gets first Busch Series win in rain-delayed event in Tennessee

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Clint Bowyer raced to his first NASCAR Busch Series victory Sunday, beating Kenny Wallace by 2.386 seconds in the rain-delayed Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.
"It's great to finally get the deal sealed at Nashville," said Bowyer, who has five top-five finishes in five starts on the 1.3-mile concrete oval. "It all started for me here two years ago in an ARCA race and Richard Childress saw me.

"It's great to finally get the deal sealed at Nashville," said Bowyer, who has five top-five finishes in five starts on the 1.3-mile concrete oval. "It all started for me here two years ago in an ARCA race and Richard Childress saw me.

"I absolutely cannot believe it. I've been in position before where I thought we had it and I spoke too soon. But I didn't speak too soon today."

The 26-year-old driver for Richard Childress Racing became the sixth driver to race to his first series victory in nine races on the track. He averaged 122.141 miles an hour. The race was slowed by eight caution periods.

There was a precarious moment on the final lap, with Johnny Benson spinning to bring out the yellow flag, but Bowyer had already taken the white flag, and easily held off Wallace for the victory.

Rookie Reed Sorenson, who raced to his first Busch Series victory at the track in April, finished third to take the series points lead.

Tony Raines was third, followed by Martin Truex Jr., David Stremme, Denny Hamlin, J.J. Yeley, Johnny Sauter and Paul Wolfe.

The field started according to owner points after qualifying was rained out Saturday, putting then-series leader Carl Edwards on the pole. However, he had to skip the race to run in the Nextel Cup race Sunday at Pocono in Pennsylvania.

By rule, Edwards' backup, Hank Parker Jr., had to start at the end of the field. He finished a lap down in 20th place.

Sorenson has a 51-point lead over Bowyer and defending champion Truex. Edwards dropped to fourth, 96 points off the lead.

Posted by admin at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2005

JUST FOR LUST

Thank you lord!!!

Posted by admin at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2005

Jimmy Rollins agrees to $40 million US, five-year extension with Philadelphia

Jimmy Rollins agrees to $40 million US, five-year extension with Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jimmy Rollins agreed to a $40 million US, five-year contract extension with the Phillies on Monday. The 26-year-old shortstop has spent his entire career with Philadelphia and was eligible for free agency after the 2006 season.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jimmy Rollins agreed to a $40 million US, five-year contract extension with the Phillies on Monday. The 26-year-old shortstop has spent his entire career with Philadelphia and was eligible for free agency after the 2006 season.

His contract includes a $5-million signing bonus, and Philadelphia holds a club option for 2011 at $8.5 million or can exercise a $2-million buyout. If the Phillies exercise the 2011 option, it would bring the total value of the contract to $47.5 million.
This season, Rollins is hitting .263 with five home runs, 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 62 games.

He was selected to the NL all-star team in 2001 and 2002. In both those seasons, he led the NL in triples and in 2001 tied for the league lead with 46 stolen bases. From 2001 through the 2004 season, he had the best fielding percentage among NL shortstops at .981.

Posted by admin at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2005

Leonard nearly squanders eight-shot lead, holds on to win St. Jude Classic

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The thought slipped into Justin Leonard's mind briefly as he stood over a 3 1/2-foot putt for bogey on No. 18. If he missed, he was going to a playoff.

That eight-stroke lead? Long gone, and his name would be in the record book for blowing the biggest lead ever on the PGA Tour.

"I pretty quickly pushed that out of my mind," Leonard said.

The Texan sunk the putt, reached in the hole for the ball and then collapsed onto the green in relief after pulling out a one-stroke victory over David Toms in the St. Jude Classic on Sunday, the first wire-to-wire win of his career and the second on tour this year.

Starting with an eight-stroke lead, Leonard closed with a 3-over 73 to finish at 14-under 266 and earn his second title of the year and 10th of his career.

"It's a good thing I had an eight-shot cushion because I was able to stay out just enough in front of a great round by David," Leonard said.

It's the second time Leonard didn't record a birdie in his final round and still won, the last at 2002 in Hilton Head when he became the first tour winner to do that in seven years. He hit only five of 18 greens in regulation Sunday.

Toms, the two-time defending champion here, helped spice up the final holes with a 63 that included four birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the back nine. He waited on the practice range and signed autographs while waiting to see if Leonard would slip enough to force a playoff.

"It made it interesting at least," Toms said.

Leonard gave himself a needed cushion when he chipped within seven feet and made the putt for par on the par-4 17th.

"At that point after an eight-shot lead has diminished to two, let's just get it in the house," Leonard said of his decision to stay as far away as possible from the water lining the left side of No. 18. "It wasn't going to be a pretty win no matter what I did on 18. At that point, I didn't care. I just wanted to get it in."

He did just that as he hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker and put his second shot 44 yards short of the green in the rough in front of the grandstands. He took relief with a drop, then chipped over a bunker within 34 feet and putted out for his bogey and the victory.

Leonard, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic winner in January, joined some select company with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry as multiple winners on the tour this year. It's the first time Leonard has won two events in a year since 1997 when he took the Kemper Open and the British Open.

He pocketed the winner's $882,000 US check by becoming only the third wire-to-wire winner in the 48-year history of the tournament, joining Bob Estes (2001) and Dave Hill (1967).

Fred Funk (68) was third at 271, while Davis Love III (68) and Heath Slocum (71) tied for fourth at 272.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished in a tie for 70th at 8-over after a final-round 71.

Toms, who pulled off his own six-stroke victory here last year, ran out of holes in trying to become the first player on tour to win the same event three straight years since Tiger Woods.

Toms birdied the par-4 10th to pull within seven strokes. Then he bounced his tee shot on the par-3 11th off the back of the island green and into the water for bogey.

He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 10 under - the only person other than Leonard to get double digits below par. Toms then eagled the par-5, 519-yard 16th by sinking a seven-foot putt, and chipped in for birdie from 64 feet on No. 17.

Toms' only regret was missing a nearly 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 that could have forced the playoff and not getting shooting lower on the front side.

"I got to 18 and obviously wanting to make birdie there and finish it off. That's the only time I saw he was all the way back down to 15 (under). I saw where he bogeyed 15. That's the only time I knew I was within two. If I had made that putt, there was the chance he could bogey 17 or 18, which he did," Toms said.

"I just didn't hit a very good putt there on the last hole," Toms said.

Divots: Leonard's 73 matches the highest final-round score by a winner in the tournament. Toms did it last year and won by six strokes, while Hill shot a 73 in 1967. ... Vijay Singh was the last to win on tour despite not making a birdie in the final round before Sunday when he won the 2004 PGA Championship in a playoff that included Leonard. ... This is the 23rd time a player holding a seven-stroke or better lead with 18 holes left has won a tour event since 1970 and the third this year - the most in any year since 1970. Mickelson did it at Pebble Beach, and Perry last week at Colonial.

Posted by admin at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)

June 02, 2005

PHOENIX (AP) - The San Antonio Spurs are excited to be going back to the NBA Finals.

They're even happier about not having to see Amare Stoudemire, Canadian Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns until next season. Tim Duncan had 31 points and 15 rebounds and the Spurs' defence keyed a game-changing 18-4 third-quarter run that gave them enough of a cushion to hold off Stoudemire and the Suns 101-95 on Wednesday night to end the Western Conference finals in five games.

The Spurs' victory also ended Nash's remarkable season.

The Victoria native and league MVP, who led the Suns to the NBA's best regular-season record in his first year with the club, had 21 points and 10 assists in Phoenix's final game.

Duncan's aching ankles and Manu Ginobili's bumps and bruises have a week to heal while San Antonio waits to find out whether it will next face Miami or Detroit. The Heat and Pistons are tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Thursday night in Miami. The final round will start June 9, and the Spurs, who won it all in 1999 and 2003, will be the home team regardless.

Although San Antonio won all three road games this series, it was never easy. Every game was within six points in the final minutes and most were closer than that thanks to Stoudemire averaging 37 points and Nash showing why he was the league's MVP.

"I am thrilled we don't have to play them again," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

"We're just ecstatic to get out of this series," added Duncan.

Proving this wasn't the typical lip service winners offer losers, consider what two-time MVP Duncan said to the 22-year-old Stoudemire when they embraced after the buzzer.

"I just told him we had a great series and that I have no doubt we'll be back in this situation in the years to come," Duncan said.

Stoudemire scored 17 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, several on the powerful slam dunks that have become his calling card, helping Phoenix trim a 13-point deficit to three with 2:45 left.

Stoudemire finished the series with the highest scoring average for a conference finals first-timer, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 35-year-old record by 2.8 points per game. His five straight 30-point games broke his own club playoff record and it made him the first Suns player to do that in any five games since Charles Barkley in March 1993.

"I grew a lot in this series," Stoudemire said.

Phoenix came into this season never expecting to still be playing in June after winning 29 games in 2003-04. But with an energetic offence, the Suns ran off the most points and most wins in the NBA and charged through the first two rounds. This was only the second time in 15 post-season games they failed to score 100 points, the other also against the Spurs.

Then again, that's what San Antonio does. This was the second straight season the Spurs allowed the fewest points in the NBA.

Everything starts with Duncan, though, and he took the Game 4 loss personally. After scoring just 15 points and missing nine free throws, he vowed to make up for it - and did, hitting six of his first seven shots and putting back the one he missed. He also had a tip-in with 2:12 left that made it 95-90, beginning the Spurs' closing push.

"I knew I'd put together a better performance than I did last time," he said. "I came in here to rectify that, whatever that may be. I wanted to give our team a chance to win and not be a hindrance."

With another loss, San Antonio would have been headed home for Game 6 with the Suns halfway to pulling off a comeback that's unprecedented in NBA history, but fresh in the minds of sports fans after the Boston Red Sox did it last October.

Phoenix was off to a good start, leading by one at halftime, and still up 52-51 a few possessions into the third quarter.

Then a dunk by Robert Horry gave the Spurs the lead. It also began a 6:30 stretch that ended with them up 69-56.

Along the way, the Suns had four turnovers (travelling by Nash, two lost balls by Stoudemire and a 24-second violation), Nash missed three shots, Stoudemire missed one and the flourish ended with Joe Johnson getting blocked twice.

The Spurs, meanwhile, had Tony Parker find his groove by hitting one of his trademark teardrop jumpers and two straight three-pointers. Duncan passed out of a double team to an open Bruce Bowen for a jumper, then - perhaps the best sign of all for the Spurs - Duncan made two free throws.

Duncan finished 14-of-24 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line, missing only his first one. It barely made it to the front rim, an ugly reminder of his 3-for-12 performance from the line in Game 4.

"Tim makes all those guys better," said Nash, who had 21 points and 10 assists. "He's a tremendous player, a team player, and a winner."

Ginobili had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Parker scored 18, although he was 8-for-21.

Johnson, whose big performance in Game 4 was the Suns' biggest hope for coming back in the series, cooled off by shooting just 6-of-17 for 14 points. Unlike the last game, his presence didn't help open things up for Shawn Marion and Quentin Richardson. Marion had eight points and Richardson, who went down hard in the first half, was scoreless in 28 minutes.

Nash scored only three points in the second half.

Notes: The Suns became the 13th team to lose three straight home games in a post-season. Their '93 team that made the Finals also did it. ... With Phoenix out, the highest-scoring team will not win the title for the 49th time in the NBA's 59 seasons, and it'll be the 27th time the team with the best regular-season record doesn't win it all. ... San Antonio's Tony Massenburg got into the game for the first time this series with 2:53 left in the first half after Nazr Mohammed picked up his third foul. Massenburg has played a key role this series, though - he was Stoudemire's stand-in during practices.

Posted by admin at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)

Rookie Danica Patrick Becomes the First Woman to Ever Lead a Lap at the Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS May 29, 2005 — Add another first to Danica Patrick's racing resume. The 23-year-old rookie, the highest-starting female driver in Indianapolis 500 history, became the first woman to lead the race when the three drivers ahead of her made their second pit stops before she did.

Patrick, driving for the Rahal Letterman Racing team, started fourth, on the inside of the second row directly behind pole-winner Tony Kanaan.

She stayed among the leaders and was still running fourth when Sam Hornish Jr., Dario Franchitti and Kanaan came in for pit stops on the 56th lap. That put Patrick in front briefly, but she came in for four tires and fuel the next time around and dropped back to fourth as she came onto the track.

Patrick, driving for the Rahal Letterman Racing team, started fourth, on the inside of the second row directly behind pole-winner Tony Kanaan.

The only woman to start from the pole in a major open wheel race was Sarah Fisher, who led the first 26 laps at Kentucky Speedway in 2002 and finished eighth. In five races at Indianapolis, Fisher's best start was ninth and her best finish was 21st.

The only other women at Indy were Janet Guthrie, whose best finish in three races was ninth in 1978; and Lyn St. James, whose best in seven races was 11th in 1992, when she was rookie of the year.

Patrick, who drove in the developmental Toyota Atlantic series for Rahal Letterman the past two years, moved up to the IndyCar series this season. At the series' most recent race at Motegi, Japan, she started second, led 32 laps and finished fourth.

Patrick went into Sunday's race in 12th place in the IRL series points.

Posted by admin at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)