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?
LIVE VIDEO: NBCSports.com shows Washington-New York, with alternate camera angles, HD views and more.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
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.
Opinion: Changing managers won't quickly solve why England hasn't won a major trophy since '66.
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.
AFP/Getty ImagesNot sure why I'm so incensed about All-Star Weekend already, but about this year's dunk contest: This will be the worst since the infamous "wheel of fortune" contest of 2002.
First, I hate the field. Dwight Howard's sticker dunk was classic, and he would've changed history with a 12-foot goal. The Superman "dunk"? The cape was corny, and while Howard indeed defied gravity by getting perpendicular to the hoop, the finish was garbage. I guess it was a crowd-pleaser, but come on, do costumes really count as innovation? The sticker dunk similarly banked on the big man's sheer jumping ability, but with a gimmick that hammered home, rather than obstructing, that natural wonder. Unless you were a judge, of course.
Nate Robinson is a novelty act we're all sick of — I guess Howard is, too, but short dudes with hops are always playing catch-up, while Howard could expand the dimensions of time and space. Rudy Gay is a great finisher, but he's not particularly acrobatic and his elastic limbs seem to complicate whatever higher truth he's aiming for. Joe Alexander is blatant racial pandering, Rudy Fernandez's rep is based on one single dunk over Dwight Howard (and blatant international pandering), and Russell Westbrook's most impressive in traffic.
Oh, and any world in which Gerald Green, inventor of THE BIRTHDAY CAKE, gets snubbed for this motley bunch is not one that values the Dunk Contest as I know it. Green can jump over anyone, has that perfect mix of agility and length to make his flight downright balletic, and comes up with crazy stuff. And he has managed to stick in the league and grow up a little.
But my major beef is with the selection process. I don't know who comes up with the first three, or the fan fave options. I don't think, though, that it's the judges. And given what a miserable track record some have had for recognizing brilliance, seeing past the obvious, or even seeing what the heck was going on, it seems like they should be the ones consulted. Otherwise, it doesn't matter what contestants offer up — there's a chance that the judges will screw it all up, anyway. This is the real NBA controversy, not fixed games or Tim Donaghy. Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant obviously belong up there, but as usual, it's about time Michael Jordan moves on. Let's see some new blood handing out scores, guys more invested in the art of dunking, more up-to-date with what is and isn't possible. Like Jason Richardson, for instance.
Or you can just watch LeBron James, J.R. Smith, and Trevor Ariza on a regular basis. It would take less time and give you more dunk fireworks. Except no BIRTHDAY CAKE.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
