Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/10644
Sports 1B Tuesday May 18, 2010 Lakers rout Suns in opener LOS ANGELES (AP) — since 2006. Even on a balky knee, Kobe Bryant had no problem giving the Los Angeles Lakers an early leg up in the Western Conference finals. Bryant scored 40 points, Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 rebounds, and the Lakers opened the series with ruthless offensive efficiency in a 128-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Pau Gasol had 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who won their seventh straight playoff game and snapped the Suns’ six-game streak with a phenomenal second half highlighted by Bryant’s 21-point third quar- ter. The defending NBA cham- pions beat the third-seeded Suns at their own uptempo game when necessary, fluidly running the court to set up baskets for Bryant in his sixth straight 30-point game. Bryant then rested his sore knee for most of the fourth quarter in the 11th 40-point game of his playoff career. Game 2 is Wednesday night at Staples Center. Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Steve Nash had 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns, who hadn’t lost since April 24. Robin Lopez started at center and scored 14 points in his playoff debut, but Phoenix couldn’t keep up with the champs in its first conference finals appearance Both teams swept their second-round series to earn their third postseason date in five years, but the Lakers did- n’t allow a week off to affect their remarkable execution. Bryant alternated jumpers and strong drives while Los Angeles pulled away, show- ing no problems with rust or nagging injuries despite bare- ly practicing for the past week. His 13-for-23 shooting performance included three 3-pointers and 11 free throws with just one miss. Bryant’s teammates were nearly as impressive despite a game offensive effort by the Suns, who ran into the same height problems faced by Utah and Oklahoma City ear- lier in the Lakers’ playoff run. Los Angeles made 58 per- cent of its shots and commit- ted just nine turnovers in Game 1 — its third straight single-digit turnover game — while outrebounding the smaller Suns 42-34. The Suns sent Bryant, Odom and the Lakers home for the summer in 2006 and 2007, and Los Angeles’ vet- erans acknowledged a mea- sure of revenge in their minds — as long as they’re healthy enough to do it. Coach Phil Jackson revealed before the game that Bryant’s right knee was drained ‘‘a while ago,’’ mov- ing it to the top of the injury list for last season’s NBA son’s knee during a drive in the first quarter. The game began at the Suns’ favored tempo, with both clubs sprinting up and down for quick baskets. The Lakers rallied from an MCT photo Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol goes to the basket against Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye, left, and guard Steve Nash during the first half in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference finals at the Staples Center in Los Angles, Monday. finals MVP. But Bryant didn’t show any obvious effects from his Davis not worried about contract extension SANTA CLARA (AP) — Two weeks ago, stand- out linebacker Patrick Willis received a hefty five- year contract extension from the San Francisco 49ers. Could Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis be the next guy to get rewarded? He’s not sure, and he insists it’s not weighing heavily on his mind right now. Yet Davis figures things will work out in time — and he wouldn’t mind a similar long-term commit- ment from the team. His current deal is due to be up after the 2010 season, and the 49ers have said they want to do all they can to keep their core players to establish some stability for the franchise. ‘‘I’m not in a rush to do anything,’’ Davis said Mon- day after the first of four optional practices this week. ‘‘That’d be good, when I eventually sign my exten- sion. It’s not something that’s heavy on my mind. I’m not really thinking about it at the moment. I like to let things come to me. He’s a defensive guy, I’m an offensive guy. I did- n’t really try to compare him to me.’’ The 26-year-old Davis is coming off a career year in his fourth NFL season, in which he tied Antonio Gates’ NFL record for touchdowns by a tight end with 13. Davis finished with career highs of 78 catches and 965 yards. While Davis is in camp this week, others who apparently are unhappy with their contract situations are staying away: starting cornerback Shawntae Spencer and linebacker Manny Lawson. For Davis, showing up is about doing his job — and that is to continue ‘‘to get better.’’ He’s also a captain and eager to lead the young players by example at this early stage, even with train- ing camp still more than two months away. ‘‘I’m here because this is what I do,’’ Davis said. ‘‘I’m not concerned about the other guys and what they do. (Manny) is a grown man. Me, I like to work.’’ litany of injuries, and he bounced back up after hitting his head on Jason Richard- early deficit with 11 consecu- tive points, and their 35 first- quarter points — capped by a dynamic baseline jumper by Bryant over two defenders at the buzzer — were Los Ange- les’ most in any quarter of the playoffs. NOTES: Bryant last scored 40 points in the postseason during the opener of last year’s NBA finals against Orlando. ... Lakers G Sasha Vujacic appeared in his first game of the postseason after missing the first two rounds with a sprained ankle. ... Jackson swatted away another rumor of his imminent retire- ment before the game, saying he hadn’t thought about his future since the last time reporters asked him about it. ... Bryant and Grant Hill got technical fouls for arguing with officials 57 seconds apart in the third quarter. ... Larry David watched the game from the same eight- seat courtside section where his fictional alter ego infa- mously tripped Shaquille O’Neal during a first-season episode of ‘‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’’ The crowd also included actors Jessica Alba, Dustin Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Sylvester Stallone and David Arquette. Lancaster grabs lead in Tour of California SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Brett Lancaster of Australia surged ahead of a group of 26 riders in the waning meters and claimed the rain-soaked second stage and the overall race lead Monday in the Tour of California. Lancaster (Cervelo) who began the day 10 seconds behind in 85th position, completed the 110.1-mile Davis to Santa Rosa road race in an unofficial finishing time of 4 hours, 38 minutes and 48 seconds. Peter Sagan of Slovakia (Liqiugas) finished second and Lars Boom (Rabobank) of the Netherlands finished third in the same as the winner. Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank), the three-time defend- ing race winner, and teammate Lance Armstrong both finished in the lead group. Lancaster, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in team pursuit, now holds a 4-second race lead because of his 10-second time bonus over Sagan and Karl Menzies (United Healthcare) of Australia. ‘‘These opportunities don’t come often,’’ said Lan- caster who primarily competes in stage races as a sup- port rider for Heinrich Haussler of Germany and Thor Hushovd of Norway, both former Tour de France stage winners. ‘‘But I definitely know I can make more of a career out of being a leader.’’ Haussler didn’t make the lead group of 26 riders and finished 41st. Hushovd is recovering from injury and is not competing in the Tour of California. Leipheimer, who finished seventh in the stage, is MCT file photo San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis goes up for a completion in the first quarter as Miami Dolphins' Will Allen makes the tackle. Coach Mike Singletary said he has spoken with both Spencer and fellow cornerback no-show Nate Clements and is satisfied they are doing fine in their offseason workouts to pre- pare for next season. As far as Lawson, the coach hasn’t spoken to him for ‘‘a while.’’ Like Davis, Lawson is in the final year of his contract. Both were drafted by San Francisco in 2006. Lawson had a career-best 6 1/2 sacks last season — and he, too, is seeking more from the Nin- ers. Spencer might be mak- ing a statement of his own by staying away. Clements is a different case. He broke his right shoulder blade in a road game against the Colts on Nov. 1 and was done for the rest of the season for San Francisco, which finished 8-8 to end a franchise-worst stretch of six straight losing seasons but missed the play- offs for the seventh straight year. Safety Michael Lewis said while the team misses its two starting cornerbacks, this gives the young players a chance to get more work this week. ‘‘We’re trying to build something special and those guys know the defense already,’’ Lewis said of Clements and Spencer. ‘‘They’re taking care of business, Shawntae in Pitts- burgh and Nate out in Ari- zona. Guys are getting bet- ter. That’s the main focus, if you’re out there getting bet- ter then we have no problem with it. With the younger guys who are here, we’re trying to get them better so they can help us out on the field.’’ Still, if you ask Davis, the best way to accomplish things for the season is to be on the field with the rest of the team — voluntary or not, contract issues or not. ‘‘I just like to take my time and always stay posi- tive about things,’’ Davis said. ‘‘I’m not really con- cerned on who they sign first or whether they sign me last. If you work hard, you get what you deserve. The harder you work, the more successful you are. I’ve always believed in that.’’ Notes: Willis said he’s not sure when he will be back on the field at full speed following a March procedure on his right knee to remove an inflamed fluid sac that kept him out of this year’s Pro Bowl. ‘‘I’m just listening to the trainers,’’ he said. ... DT Aubrayo Franklin also didn’t take part Monday. ... Ted Ginn Jr., acquired when the Nin- ers traded their fifth-round draft pick to Miami to get him, dropped a couple of balls thrown by starting QB Alex Smith. now 12th overall in a group of 20 cyclists, including Armstrong, 10 seconds behind Lancaster. The inclement weather and a stage featuring four climbs shattered the field. More than half of the finish- ers, including former race leader Mark Cavendish of England, completed the stage at least 10 minutes behind the winner. Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), the 10-time Tour of France stage winner, finished 96th in the stage, trailing the winner by more than 17 minutes, and is now 87th overall. The eight-day event continues Tuesday with the 113.3-mile San Francisco to Santa Cruz road race stage 3. Most Lakers fans again don’t wear free shirts LOS ANGELES (AP) — Not even the Lakers can tell a fashionable Los Angeles crowd what to wear. Most fans at Staples Center on Monday night declined to put on their giveaway gold T-shirts for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. The Lakers handed out thousands of shirts with their logo on the back and the slogan ‘‘Together We Are One’’ on the front, attempting the popular color-coordination crowd stunt per- formed in several arenas during the NBA and NHL playoffs. The idea definitely isn’t hip in L.A., where the crowd gave the same polite disdain to thousands of giveaway white T-shirts earlier in the playoffs. Some fans waved the shirts like a Terrible Towel, but most stuck them underneath their seats.