Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
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In the fourth quarter, Bryant atoned for his errors in overtime of Game 4. How many shot attempts did the most dangerous scorer in the NBA, the Mamba, attempt in his team’s most important game of the season? Zero.
Instead, Bryant played the point. He drove the lane, spun, weaved and sailed until he drew a double team. Then he dished. There was no better example of this than with just over 90 seconds remaining and Los Angeles clinging to a 101-100 lead. No. 24 drove to the hoop, leaped, and then at the last moment dished to a lonely Lamar Odom who slammed it home.
Only Bryant really knows how badly he hurts. There were no grimaces in Staples Center on Wednesday evening, no dramatic stations-of-the-cross-like falls to his knees as occurred on Sunday in Salt Lake City. Bryant played as if he were impervious to pain, though it is obvious David Blaine has better levitation than he does now. Early in the second half, Bryant spun past Williams on the left block and, with no defender in front of him, simply laid it in off the backboard. It was a jam moment, but Bryant understands his limitations.
Hollywood, a town famous for backlots and back scratchers, has a back problem at the moment. And it is not going away before the Jazz do. If the Jazz do. Utah fell meekly in Games 1 and 2, but suddenly they are fearless. And that brings up an intriguing quandary for Lakers coach Phil Jackson: Whether or not to sit Kobe on Friday night at Energy Solutions Arena.
If you could sit Kobe for Game 6 and have him at near full-strength for a Game 7 at home, why not do it? The Jazz, facing a closer-to-mortal Kobe in Game 5, were within one point of the Lakers with a minute to go. If Mehmet Okur had not missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play, the score would have been tied. All of which is to say that the Lakers will be hard-pressed to win at Utah on Friday evening with a Kobe who, unlike in Game 5, did not have 72 hours of recuperation between games.
Rest Kobe on Friday and return to Staples Center for a Game 7 in which he will be healthy. Or at least healthier. Chances are Game 7 is going to happen, anyway. If you are Jackson, you don’t worry about your players facing Utah with their backs against the wall. You worry about those backs being pain-free.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.