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 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.
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.
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.
AP
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Karl Malone will not be charged in a confrontation with a fan who said the Lakers’ forward poked him in the face before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca said Monday that Malone did put a finger on Happy Asker’s cheek, but it wasn’t enough to warrant prosecution.
“I don’t think that he intended to hurt him,” Gorcyca said. “All Mr. Malone has to worry about now is guarding Ben and Rasheed Wallace.”
In a dispute shown repeatedly on national television, Asker was at the edge of the court during Los Angeles’ layup drill before Thursday night’s game, won by the Detroit Pistons 88-68.
Asker, 28, of Southfield heckled and swore at Malone before the player responded and poked at him, Gorcyca said.
“You stink,” Asker told Malone, according to a transcript of a videotape of the confrontation.
“You’d better back off,” Malone told Asker. “You don’t know me.”
Gorcyca said his review of the tape led him to the conclusion that Malone was not trying to injure Asker.
Malone did not discuss the confrontation at a news conference at the Palace on Monday.
The prosecutor also said that Asker, who attended the game with his brother, Diah Asker, 31, of San Diego, claimed to have paid a ticket scalper $25,000 for a pair of tickets to the game. Gorcyca noted that buying the scalped tickets was illegal and therefore the men’s presence in The Palace was illegal.
The brothers also violated trespassing laws and an Auburn Hills ordinance by coming onto the playing floor, Gorcyca said.
Malone, a 19-year NBA veteran and the league’s second-leading career scorer, said last week that Asker spit in his face while heckling him.
“He was really out of line,” Malone said. “Just because you buy a ticket doesn’t mean you should be able to get on the court and degrade somebody.”
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 |
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.