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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
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 swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
NBCSports.com illustrationMost Valuable Player
1. LeBron James, Cavaliers. The unquestioned best player in the game isn't deferring to anyone, even Shaq.
2. Kobe Bryant, Lakers. Relishes nothing more than the challenge of being considered anything less than the best player in the game.
3. Dwight Howard, Magic. Not only the game's premier dominant big man, but also, arguably, the league's only dominant big man.
4. Chris Paul, Hornets. He finally has a post presence in Emeka Okafor and a team that is in a make-or-break phase.
5. Dwyane Wade, Heat. It's not a matter of if he can do it all. It's a matter that, with this team, he has to do it all.
Rookie of the Year
1. Blake Griffin, Clippers. This year's Derrick Rose, a clear front-runner for the award, even with the six weeks he's expected to miss. The late start shouldn't put him that far behind this rookie class.
2. Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves. Minnesota will give him every opportunity to make fans forget the Ricky Rubio debacle.
3. Stephen Curry, Warriors. Nellie can be as good as anyone at inflating a player's statistics.
Coach of the Year
1. Nate McMillan, Blazers. A heck of a challenge satisfying all that talent.
2. Jerry Sloan, Jazz. He'll push and prod Utah to another overachieving season.
3. Phil Jackson, Lakers. The won-loss record will be too much to overlook.
Defensive Player of the Year
1. Kevin Garnett, Celtics. There will be a vengeance after idly sitting by last season.
2. Ron Artest, Lakers. Will go out of his way to establish perimeter dominance.
3. Dwight Howard, Magic. Will block, rebound, intimidate to the max.
Sixth Man Award
1. Lamar Odom, Lakers. Another year of agreeing to play the good soldier.
2. Jason Terry, Mavericks. Dallas not about to mess with a good thing.
3. Ben Gordon, Pistons. Not that it makes any sense to play him off the bench.
Most Improved Player
1. Brook Lopez, Nets. Underappreciated as a rookie, he will emerge as one of the best big men in the East.
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder. Poised for the NBA's most difficult step, from star to superstar.
3. Will Bynum, Pistons. What do you know? Rodney Stuckey isn't the Pistons' best point guard.
Ira Winderman writes regularly for NBCSports.com and covers the Heat and the NBA for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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.
ProBasketballTalk tweets |
|
Source: Twitter. For more, follow @basketballtalk. |
 | Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
 Lin on on 'Linsanity' Knicks guard Jeremy Lin discusses the hype surrounding his recent rise in New York. |
 | Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
Ask the NBA expert: Ira Winderman |
Do you have a burning NBA question? Submit it now, and then check back for our reader mailbag. |  |
 | Special feature |
 |
Who will be MVP? Interactive: Rank each player on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best player, 0 = barely worthy of consideration). NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
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.