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Friday PGA— U.S. Open, 10 a.m., ESPN and NBC MLB— Giants at Blue Jays, 4 p.m., CSNB MLB — White Sox at Nationals, 4 p.m., MLBN MLB— Athletics at Cardinals, 5 p.m., CNC World Cup — Slovenia vs United States, 7 a.m., ESPN World Cup — England vs Algeria, 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 Sports 1B Friday June 18, 2010 Lakers edge Celtics for 16th title LOS ANGELES (AP) — Purple and gold confetti raining down upon him, Kobe Bryant hopped up on the scorer’s table, shook his fists and extended five fingers. When he hopped down, Boston’s legendary Hall of Fame center Bill Russell was waiting to shake his hand. A Game 7 classic — and this time, it finally went the Lakers’ way. Beating Boston for the first time in a Game 7, the Lakers came up cham- pions again after trailing in the last quarter of the last game of their sea- son. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points despite 6-of-24 shooting and the Lak- ers won their 16th NBA championship Thursday night, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 of the NBA finals. Bryant earned his fifth title with the Lakers, who repeated as NBA cham- pions for the first time since winning three straight from 2000-02. Ron Artest added 20 points for the Lakers, who shot terribly while trailing for most of the first 3 1/2 quarters. Yet they reclaimed the lead midway through the fourth quarter and hung on with big shots from Pau Gasol and Artest. ‘‘Well, first all I want to thank everybody in my hood,’’ Artest said in an ABC interview right after the game. ‘‘I definitely want to thank my doctors ... my psychiatrist, she really helped me relax a lot.’’ With their fifth title in 11 seasons, the Lakers moved one championship behind Boston’s 17 banners for the overall NBA lead. Amid the confetti and streamers after the final buzzer, Magic Johnson rushed the court to congratulate Bryant, who now has the same num- ber of titles, and to hug Artest, the only PEBBLE BEACH (AP) — The scenery at Pebble Beach was as spectacular as ever. The U.S. Open was as tough as ever. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson didn’t make a single birdie between them Thursday, the first time that’s ever happened with the world’s best two players in the same tournament. Some of the strongest rounds, and sometimes the best shots, didn’t hold up on a course that played like a beast, even if it didn’t look like one. Shaun Micheel took only 22 putts, the last one from 20 feet for birdie on the 18th hole and a 2-under 69 that put him atop the leader- board with Paul Casey and Brendon De Jonge. One thing seemed as clear as the blue sky over the Monterey Peninsula: that 12-under par by Woods a decade ago is safe. If one round was any indication, anything under par might be good enough to win this U.S. Open. ‘‘I’m not thinking about what kind of score might win this golf tournament,’’ Ian Poulter said after a hard- earned 70. ‘‘I’m just happy to go out there and play as good as I possibly can. But I will tell you the golf course is difficult. There’s not going to be many good scores on it today. And I can’t see it getting easier.’’ De Jonge, a 29-year-old from Zimbabwe playing in his first U.S. Open, holed out with a wedge for eagle on the scary par-5 14th and hit it stiff on the par-3 17th for his round of 69. Casey got away with average iron play by taking only 23 putts. Only nine players were SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s road to the BCS just became a lot less complicated. As the newest member of the Pac-10, the Utes will be playing for a guaranteed spot in one of college foot- ball’s elite bowl games rather than hoping to sneak in with an at-large berth — as they’ve done twice MCT photo Kobe Bryant takes a shot over Ray Allen,Thursday night. new addition to the Lakers’ champi- onship roster from last season. Artest has been a liability for much of the postseason, but the former head case came up with a remarkable game on the Lakers’ biggest night, playing stur- dy defense along with his scoring. Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 under par, compared with 17 rounds under par after the first round at Pebble in 2000. The course played slightly more than 3 shots over par — 75.251. The biggest difference was Woods. He hit every green in opening with eight pars — extending his streak to 34 holes without a bogey in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach — but never gave himself many good looks at birdie. His day ended badly, with a three-putt bogey from the fringe on the 16th, missing an 8-foot birdie on the 17th and laying up in a bunker to take bogey on the 18th for a 3-over 74. ‘‘I hit the ball well enough to shoot a good score,’’ Woods said. ‘‘These greens are just awful. They’re moving every which way.’’ Woods never had that problem 10 years ago, mak- ing everything inside 8 feet. He is a different player now, playing this U.S. Open under far different circum- stances with the turmoil in his personal life. And this golf course has rarely looked so tough in relatively calm conditions. Mickelson, already with a record five runner-up fin- ishes in this major, hit two balls in the ocean, took two shots to get out of one bunker and missed a half- dozen birdie putts inside 12 feet in his birdie-free round of 75. It was his highest open- ing round in the U.S. Open since 1997, though he was not entirely discouraged. ‘‘There’s no way under par is going to win here, I don’t believe,’’ Mickelson said. ‘‘I think over par will before. Utah officially joined the Pac-10 on Thursday, leaving the Mountain West Confer- ence for the prestige and more lucrative opportunities of a league where things such as the Heisman Tro- phy, Final Four and national titles are distinct possibilities instead of long shots. ‘‘Today is an absolutely MCT photo Mike Weir tees off on the 18th hole,Thursday. win. Because of that, I’m right there. But I need to play well. I need to putt well, score well. I’ve just got to get sharp on the greens.’’ Mike Weir chipped in for a bonus birdie on the 16th to reach 3-under, only to bogey the final two holes great day to be a Ute,’’ ath- letic director Chris Hill said Thursday before he was interrupted by applause dur- ing a news conference. The Pac-10 invited Utah to join the league on Wednesday and university President Michael Young officially signed on in front of a crowd of elated boosters a day later. and settle for a 70, leaving him in a group of interna- tional players that included Poulter of England, 18-year- old Ryo Ishikawa of Japan, K.J. Choi of South Korea, Alex Cejka of Germany and Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Argentina. Utah accepts invitation to join Pac-10 After playing one final season in the Mountain West this fall, Utah will join the Pac-10 — or whatever the expanded league’s name will become — in 2011. There is a guaranteed BCS spot for the Pac-10 winner, but that will mean getting through a schedule of one of college football’s most prominent conferences. rebounds for the Celtics, who just couldn’t finish the final quarter of a remarkable playoff run after a fourth- place finish in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Garnett added 17 points, but Boston flopped in two chances to clinch the series in Los Angeles after winning Game 5 back home. Tough opening day all around at Pebble Kings trade Nocioni, Hawes for Dalembert PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Samuel Dalembert got his wish. The Philadelphia 76ers traded Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. Dalembert asked for a trade last year because he was unhappy with his role. Now, he got it. ‘‘We are excited to add two play- ers in Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni who will help us immediately and provide us with additional frontcourt depth,’’ Sixers general manager Ed Ste- fanski said in a statement. ‘‘Spencer is a young seven-footer who will provide us with versatility at the center position, while Andres will provide us with a tough veteran pres- ence.’’ Dalembert was Philadelphia’s longest-tenured player, but he played for seven different coaches and never developed into a dominant force after being drafted in the first round in 2001. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 8.1 points and 8.3 rebounds over eight seasons, and often was mentioned in trade rumors. He joins a team that was 25-57 and had the second-worst record in the Western Conference. ‘‘He will certainly bring a defensive presence and increase our ability to defend around the basket with his rebounding, shot-blocking and athleticism,’’ Kings president Geoff Petrie said. ‘‘I think he’ll add a very different look to our team defensively and we’re really excited about having him.’’ Nocioni, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 8.5 points for the Kings last season. He was suspended two games in March after pleading no contest in California to drunken driving. Hawes, a 7-foot-1 center, averaged 10 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. He was Sacramento’s first-round draft pick in 2007. Nocioni and Hawes join a rebuilding team that missed the playoffs last season and has the No. 2 overall pick in next week’s draft. The Sixers have a new coach in Doug Collins, some tal- ented players already on the roster and expect to improve significantly after an awful 27-win season. Dalembert, the NBA’s only Haitian-born player, went to Haiti in January with the aid group Project MediShare to assist with the earthquake relief effort. The 29-year-old Dalembert was scheduled to earn nearly $13 million in the final year of his contract. He has a 15 per- cent trade kicker in his deal. That clause made it difficult for the Sixers to trade him sooner. Nocioni began his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and was traded to the Kings during the 2008-09 sea- son. He’s averaged 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds over his career. The 30-year-old Nocioni is a rugged player who adds toughness at the small forward position. Nocioni helped Argentina win the gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the bronze in ’08. Hawes, the 10th overall pick three years ago, has aver- aged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in his career. He’s not as effective as Dalembert at blocking shots, but fits in better at center. The addition of Nocioni gives Philadelphia three players — Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young are the others — whose best position is small forward. Mexico beats France 2-0 POLOKWANE, South Africa (AP) — Substitutes Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco each scored in Mexi- co’s 2-0 win over France at the World Cup on Thursday, leaving Mexico needing only a draw to reach the next round. Hernandez, nicknamed ‘‘Chicharito (Little Green Pea),’’ ran onto Rafael Marquez’s pass as the France defense stopped, believing Hernandez was offside. He dribbled around goalkeeper Hugo Lloris before guiding the ball home in the 64th minute. Hernandez’s grandfather, Tomas Balcazar, scored for Mexico against France in the 1954 World Cup. Blanco put in a penalty kick in the 79th minute after Eric Abidal fouled another substitute, Pablo Barrera. Mexico next plays Uruguay, which also needs a draw to advance. France has only one point. France has to beat South Africa and hope Mexico and Uruguay don’t draw their match in Tuesday’s final group games. Argentina 4, South Korea 1 JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat trick and Argentina beat South Korea 4-1 at the World Cup on Thursday, putting the South Americans on the brink of qualifying for the next round. Argentina took the lead in the 17th minute when Park Chu-young deflected in a free kick from Lionel Messi. Higuain made it 2-0 in the 33rd after Nicolas Burdisso passed along a cross from Maxi Rodriguez. In first-half injury time, Lee Chung-yong pounced on a defensive mistake to close the gap, but Higuain’s two sec- ond-half goals — in the 76th and 80th minutes — put the game away. Argentina leads Group B with six points off two victories and one game remaining in group play. South Korea and Greece are tied for second place with three points apiece. Greece 2, Nigeria 1 BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) — Greece claimed its first World Cup win, rallying to beat 10-man Nigeria 2-1 in a World Cup Group B match on Thursday. Vassilis Torosidis poked home a loose ball in the 71st minute after a mistake from Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama to make history for Greece, which had lost all four previous World Cup matches. Nigeria opened the scoring in the 16th minute at Free State Stadium when Kalu Uche’s curling free kick from 35 yards deceived everyone, particularly goalkeeper Alexan- dros Tzorvas, who moved the wrong way. But the game changed in the 33rd minute when Nigeria midfielder Sani Kaita was shown a straight red card for kick- ing Torosidis. Striker Dimitris Salpingidis equalized in the 44th minute with a deflected shot before Torosidis’ winner.