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2B – Daily News – Monday, March 28, 2011 Scoreboard NBA At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB y-Boston 50 21 .704 — Philadelphia37 36 .507 14 New York 35 38 .479 16 New Jersey 23 49 .31927 1/2 Toronto 20 53 .274 31 Southeast Division WL Pct GB x-Miami 51 22 .699 — x-Orlando 47 26 .644 4 x-Atlanta 42 32 .5689 1/2 Charlotte 30 42 .41720 1/2 Washington 17 54 .239 33 Central Division WL Pct GB y-Chicago 53 19 .736 — Indiana 32 42 .432 22 Milwaukee 29 43 .403 24 Detroit 26 47 .35627 1/2 Cleveland 14 58 .194 39 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL Pct GB x-San Antonio 57 16 .781 — x-Dallas 51 21 .7085 1/2 New Orleans42 31 .575 15 Memphis 41 33 .55416 1/2 Houston 38 35 .521 19 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 47 24 .662 — Denver 44 29 .603 4 Portland 42 30 .5835 1/2 Utah 36 38 .48612 1/2 Minnesota 17 56 .233 31 Pacific Division WL Pct GB y-L.A. Lakers52 20 .722 — Phoenix 36 35 .50715 1/2 Warriors 31 42 .42521 1/2 L.A. Clippers29 45 .392 24 Kings 20 52 .278 32 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division ——— Saturday’s Games Atlanta 98, New Jersey 87 Charlotte 114, New York 106 Detroit 100, Indiana 88 Chicago 95, Milwaukee 87 Dallas 94, Utah 77 L.A. Clippers 94, Toronto 90 Sunday’s Games Sacramento 114, Philadelphia 111, OT Memphis 111, San Antonio 104 LAIRD Continued from page 1B never lost hope. ‘‘I never thought about not winning,’’ Laird said. ‘‘When I saw I was three down, I didn’t have a choice. I had to start play- ing some good golf. I had to make birdies. Steve was playing too good. That was really the focus. It was trying to get this tro- phy.’’ First came a handshake and congratulations from Palmer, the tournament host. ‘‘It really doesn’t get any better than to meet him coming off as the champion of his tourna- ment,’’ Laird said. Laird needed some help from Marino, who played beautifully until the last four holes. Marino went at the flag on the 15th, tucked right behind the bunker, and his ball plugged in the soft sand. He blasted out to 35 feet and made bogey. Then came the 17th, and a 6- iron that he thought was good all the way until the Atlanta 99, Cleveland 83 Miami 125, Houston 119 Boston at Minnesota, late Portland at Oklahoma City, late Washington at Golden State, late New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, late Dallas at Phoenix, late Monday’s Games Milwaukee at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Boston at Indiana, 4 p.m. Orlando at New York, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 5 p.m. Portland at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Washington at Utah, 6 p.m. Tuesday’s Games Miami at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Houston at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Golden State at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Sacramento, 7 p.m. NHL At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT GF GA x-Philadelphia 74 45 10 237 198 x-Pittsburgh 76 45 23 8 218 183 N.Y. Rangers76 41 30 5 218 181 New Jersey 75 34 36 5 155 189 NY Islanders76 29 35 5 210 241 Northeast Division GP W L OT GF GA Boston 74 41 23 10 224 177 Montreal 76 40 29 7 200 196 Buffalo 75 38 28 9 222 210 Toronto 76 34 32 10 201 232 Ottawa 76 29 37 10 175 233 Southeast Division GP W L OT GF GA x-Washington 76 44 10 205 182 Tampa Bay 75 40 24 11 223 228 Carolina 75 35 30 10 211 224 Atlanta 75 32 31 12 210 246 Florida 76 29 36 11 185 209 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT GF GA Detroit 75 44 22 9 242 213 Nashville 76 41 25 10 202 179 Chicago 74 40 26 8 239 204 St. Louis 75 34 32 9 212 219 Columbus 75 33 31 11 200 230 Northwest Division GP W L OT GF GA y-Vancouver76 50 17 9 247 175 Calgary 77 38 28 11 235 226 Minnesota 75 35 32 8 188 213 Colorado 74 28 38 8 207 262 Edmonton 75 23 41 11 180 249 Pacific Division crowd groaned. He blasted out over the green, putted up the slope to 5 feet and missed the bogey putt. ‘‘I played so well all day, and you know, one hiccup on 17 cost me the tournament,’’ he said. Justin Rose closed with a 68 and tied for third with David Toms and Marc Leishman, who needed to win to get into the Mas- ters. Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at Bay Hill, was poised for a second straight top 10 until he made bogey from the bunker on the 17th and hit his approach into the water on No. 18 for double bogey and a 72. In his final tournament before the Masters, Woods tied for 24th, seven shots behind. Phil Mickelson dropped three shots on the last five holes for a 73 to also finish in a tie for 24th. Laird won for the sec- ond time in his PGA Tour career, and the record will show that he won for the first time in three tries when going into the final round atop the leader- board. GP W L OT GF GA San Jose 76 44 23 9 224 199 Phoenix 77 41 25 11 219 212 Los Angeles75 43 26 6 207 181 Anaheim 75 42 28 5 214 217 Dallas 74 38 26 10 208 210 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Saturday’s Games Calgary 5, Edmonton 4, SO N.Y. Rangers 1, Boston 0 Los Angeles 4, Colorado 1 Buffalo 2, New Jersey 0 Washington 2, Montreal 0 Philadelphia 4, N.Y. Islanders 1 Tampa Bay 4, Carolina 2 Detroit 4, Toronto 2 Nashville 4, Dallas 2 St. Louis 6, Minnesota 3 Anaheim 2, Chicago 1 San Jose 4, Phoenix 1 Sunday’s Games Pittsburgh 2, Florida 1, SO Atlanta 5, Ottawa 4, SO Vancouver 4, Columbus 1 Boston at Philadelphia, late Monday’s Games Chicago at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Tuesday’s Games Buffalo at Toronto, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Carolina at Washington, 4 p.m. Florida at Columbus, 4 p.m. Chicago at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Atlanta at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Nashville, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 7 p.m. NCAA By The Associated Press EAST REGIONAL Regional Championship Sunday, March 27 Kentucky 76, North Carolina 69 SOUTHEAST REGIONAL Regional Championship Saturday, March 26 Butler 74, Florida 71, OT SOUTHWEST REGIONAL Regional Championship Sunday, March 27 But it wasn’t that sim- ple. Not even close. Palmer prefers a stern test at his beloved Bay Hill, and that’s what he got, especially in the after- noon when the wind picked up and the course dried out even more under a hot sun. ‘‘The back-nine pins, they are all bogey and double-bogey pins — they are not birdie pins,’’ Mick- elson said when he fin- ished. ‘‘The last eight holes are holes that you have to play 50 feet away if you’re playing smart.’’ Laird finished at 8- under 280, the highest winning score since Ben Crenshaw shot 280 in 1993. Laird earned $1.08 million, and a validation after tough playoff losses at The Barclays and in Las Vegas late last year. Spencer Levin, who played in the final group and started two shots behind, shot 41 on the front nine and still was in the game toward the end. He wound up with a 76 and tied for sixth. Laird got off to such a shaky start that it only took an hour for more Virginia Commonwealth 71, Kansas 61 WEST REGIONAL Regional Championship Saturday, March 26 Connecticut 65, Arizona 63 FINAL FOUR At Reliant Stadium Houston National Semifinals Saturday, April 2 Kentucky (29-8) vs. Connecticut (30-9) Butler (27-9) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (28-11) National Championship Monday, April 4 Semifinal winners MLB Spring Training Glance By The Associated Press AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct Kansas City18 10 .643 Detroit 20 12 .625 Minnesota 18 11 .621 Toronto 15 12 .556 Seattle 14 12 .538 Los Angeles15 13 .536 Baltimore 14 14 .500 Cleveland 13 13 .500 Tampa Bay 14 14 .500 New York 12 15 .444 Texas 12 16 .429 Athletics 12 18 .400 Boston 12 19 .387 Chicago 11 18 .379 NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct Colorado 20 9 .690 Milwaukee 17 10 .630 Giants 20 12 .625 Philadelphia19 13 .594 Atlanta 16 12 .571 Washington 15 13 .536 Cincinnati 14 14 .500 New York 15 15 .500 St. Louis 14 14 .500 Florida 13 14 .481 San Diego 13 14 .481 Chicago 14 17 .452 Los Angeles13 18 .419 Pittsburgh 11 19 .367 Houston 11 22 .333 Arizona 11 23 .324 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. ——— players to have a chance than who started the final round. He made three bogeys to go out in 39 and was tied with Marino when he headed to the back nine. Then came more twists than he was expecting. ‘‘No one is going to take a 75 going into the last round of a tourna- ment,’’ Laird said. ‘‘but I knew it was going to be this tough to win.’’ Woods played a solid round until his bogey-dou- ble bogey finish. Bay Hill completes a full year since his return from a sex scan- dal, with not much to show for it — no wins, only three top 10s on the PGA Tour and not once in serious contention on the back nine. Next stop: Augusta National. Such is the state of his game that the six-time Bay Hill winner called this a ‘‘very good week, and a week I needed to see.’’ ‘‘It’s getting better every week I’ve played,’’ he said. Schleck wins Criterium International PORTO-VECCHIO, France (AP) — Frank Schleck of Luxembourg won the two-day Criterium Interna- tional race in Corsica on Sunday, holding onto his lead during the 4.3- mile time trial. The Leopard Trek rider took 12th place in the short third and final stage in Porto-Vecchio, finishing 24 sec- onds behind Andreas Kloeden of Germany. It was his first victory of the season. ‘‘I was pretty confident before the time trial, but I was fearing a techni- cal problem or maybe I would have bad legs,’’ Schleck said. ‘‘I’m not a specialist, but everything went fine.’’ Leopard Trek sports director Kim Andersen praised Schleck’s effort in the time trial. ‘‘I think it might be the best time trial he ever rode,’’ Andersen said. ‘‘He showed he has improved a lot and this will give him a lot of confi- dence and it will be very useful dur- ing the Tour (de France).’’ Kloeden clocked 8 minutes and 46 seconds to finish just ahead of Britain’s Bradley Wiggins, who was 4 seconds behind. Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark was third, 10 seconds back. ‘‘This is not just a TT victory, this is a nice TT victory,’’ Kloeden said. ‘‘When you beat guys like (David) Millar, Wiggins and (David) Zabriskie, you know that you per- formed more than well. I was disap- pointed yesterday — I had bad legs because of the long travel to the race — but that motivated me extra for today.’’ Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus, Schleck’s main rival in the overall standings, finished eighth to cut his deficit from 20 to 13 seconds. Rein Taaramae of Estonia was third, 30 seconds behind. Earlier Sunday, Simon Geschke of Germany had won a massive sprint to claim the second stage of the race. Fish reaches 4th round at Key Biscayne KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Mardy Fish might leave Key Biscayne as the top-ranked American in men’s tennis, a prospect that leaves him unconvinced. ‘‘I wouldn’t be the No. 1 American really,’’ said Fish, who beat No. 17 seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3 in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday. Fish is ranked a career- best 15th, and if he wins two more rounds he’ll over- take longtime friend Andy Roddick in the next rank- ings. Roddick lost his open- ing match Saturday and is expected to drop from eighth to about 15th, the lowest he has been ranked since 2002. ‘‘I certainly wouldn’t feel like the top-ranked American, considering what Andy has accom- plished and what I’ve accomplished,’’ Fish said. ‘‘His career has quadrupled mine, at least.’’ Roddick is a five-time Grand Slam finalist who won the 2003 U.S. Open and finished that year ranked No. 1. Fish’s record in major events is barely above .500, and he has made the top 20 in the year- end rankings only twice. But at 29, Fish is in the best condition of his career. That showed against Gas- quet in the midday sun on an 87-degree afternoon. ‘‘Playing out there today, you can obviously see why you need to be fit to win these matches,’’ Fish said. Also advancing was No. 30-seeded John Isner, who won an all-American matchup against qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-2, 7- 6 (4). Bogomolov upset Roddick in the second round, giving Isner a less daunting path to the quarter- finals. ‘‘I didn’t want to think too much about it,’’ Isner said. ‘‘A lot of times when a draw sort of opens up, guys tend to maybe not play as well. So I’m not looking at the draw.’’ This Fish knows: His next opponent will be Juan Martin del Potro, who is gaining momentum in his comeback from right wrist surgery last May. The big Argentine earned his first win this year over a top-10 player by beating No. 4 Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2. Del Potro, ranked 484th in February, will climb back into the top 45 after the tour- nament. ‘‘It’s a long road to come back to being at the top again,’’ the 2009 U.S. Open champion said. ‘‘I’m improv- ing very, very slowly.’’ In women’s play, No. 2- seeded Kim Clijsters earned her 500th career victory by beating Maria Jose Mar- tinez Sanchez, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Clijsters, who won the tournament in 2005 and 2010, advanced to the fourth round despite 10 double-faults and 39 unforced errors. She next plays No. 19 Ana Ivanovic, who won when Virginie Razzano retired trailing 2-6, 6-2, 3-0. Reigning French Open champion Francesca Schi- avone, seeded fifth, edged Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-4, 7-6 (2). No. 9 Agniesz- ka Radwanska beat No. 24 Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (2), 6- 3. Saturday’s Games Washington 10, Houston 0 Florida 6, St. Louis 5 Baltimore 7, Tampa Bay 2 Detroit 3, Philadelphia (ss) 1 N.Y.Yankees 4, Pittsburgh 2 Toronto 7, Philadelphia (ss) 6 N.Y. Mets 8, Atlanta 2 Chicago Cubs 6, Texas 5 L.A. Angels 6, Chicago White Sox 3 L.A. Dodgers 5, San Diego 4 Milwaukee 2, Seattle 1, 10 innings Kansas City 9, Arizona 6 San Francisco (ss) 9, Cincinnati 6 Minnesota 9, Boston 8 Colorado 4, Oakland 1 San Francisco (ss) 8, Cleveland 5 Sunday’s Games Florida 6, Washington 4 Detroit 8, Houston 4 Toronto 9, Baltimore (ss) 5 Baltimore (ss) 4, Boston 3 Philadelphia 6, Atlanta 1 St. Louis 3, N.Y. Mets 1 Minnesota 7, N.Y.Yankees 6 Pittsburgh 5, Tampa Bay 4 Cleveland vs. L.A. Dodgers, late Chicago White Sox 2, Milwaukee 1 Colorado (ss) 6, Chicago Cubs 4 Texas 5, Seattle 4, 10 innings Arizona vs. Cincinnati, late Kansas City 7, San Francisco 4 Colorado (ss) 5, Oakland 2 San Diego at L.A. Angels, late Monday’s Games Houston vs. Philadelphia, 10:05 a.m. Boston vs. Toronto, 10:05 a.m. Florida (ss) vs. St. Louis, 10:05 a.m. Detroit vs. Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 10:05 a.m. Florida (ss) vs. N.Y. Mets, 10:10 a.m. San Diego vs. Milwaukee (ss), 1:05 p.m. Milwaukee (ss) vs. Kansas City, 1:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Chicago W. Sox, 1:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland, 1:05 p.m. Colorado vs. Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Texas vs. Arizona, 1:10 p.m. Washington vs. Atlanta, 3:05 p.m. Tampa Bay vs. N.Y.Yankees, 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. Oakland at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m. MOVES By The Associated Press BASEBALL American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS—Optioned OF Lorenzo Cain to Omaha (PCL). MINNESOTA TWINS—Optioned RHP Jim Hoey, RHP Anthony Slama and INF Luke Hughes to Rochester (IL). PASS Continued from page 1B Unlike Saturday’s Nationwide race, which featured lead changes seemingly every other lap, this one had drivers camped out front for long stretches before the final flourish. Part of it was the lack of cautions, the opening 75 laps coming under green to set a track record. Overnight rain, which lin- gered as mist until a cou- ple hours before the race, also played a role. Drivers who were able to get the setup right were able to get out front and stay there while everyone else tin- kered. Mostly, that meant Busch. He swept the Nation- wide and Sprint Cup races last week at Bristol, then opened with a Nationwide win at Auto Club, using a late two-tire pit stop to beat Carl Edwards and Harvick, who each took four tires. Busch had a rough start to his Sprint Cup week- end, forced to a backup car after sliding into the wall on his first practice lap on Friday, but still managed to qualify eighth. Busch took his first lead on Lap 22 and lost it a few times on green-flag pit stops, but was back out front within a few laps, pulling away on each of the four restarts. He just didn’t have enough left after the lead- ers stayed out on the last caution, spoiling his chance to pull off the NASCAR weekend sweep two weeks in a row. ‘‘It’s real unfortunate and disappointing and frustrating all in one that we weren’t able to seal the deal today,’’ Busch said. ‘‘You ask a little bit more from your race car at the OAKLAND ATHLETICS—Optioned RHP Joey Devine to Sacramento (PCL). SEATTLE MARINERS—Optioned INF Matt Tuiasosopo to Tacoma (PCL). Assigned OF Mike Wilson, LHP Royce Ring, RHP Denny Bautista and RHP Justin Miller to their minor-league camp. TAMPA BAY RAYS—Optioned C Jose Lobaton to Durham (IL). Traded INF Joe Inglett to Houston for a player to be named or cash considerations. National League ATLANTA BRAVES—Reassigned RHP Kenshin Kawakami, RHP Rodrigo Lopez, C J.C. Boscan, INF Ed Lucas and OF Wilkin Rodriguez to their minor league camp. Placed RHP Kris Medlen on the 15-day DL. Released RHP Scott Proctor. Placed OF Joe Mather on outright waivers. CHICAGO CUBS—Granted RHP Carlos Silva his unconditional release. CINCINNATI REDS—Reassigned LHP Dontrelle Willis and OF Jeremy Hermida to their minor league camp. COLORADO ROCKIES—Optioned RHP Matt Daley, RHP Greg Reynolds, C Jor- dan Pacheco and INF Eric Young Jr. to their minor league camp. Reassigned RHP John Maine, LHP Rex Brothers and LHP Eric Stults to their minor league camp. HOUSTON ASTROS—Returned RHP Lance Pendleton to the N.Y.Yankees, who assigned him to their minor league camp. MILWAUKEE BREWERS—Placed RHP LaTroy Hawkins on the 15-day DL. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES—Optioned RHP Scott Mathieson and LHP Mike Zagurski to their minor league camp. WASHINGTON NATIONALS—Traded OF Nyjer Morgan to Milwaukee for INF Cutter Dykstra and cash considerations. HOCKEY National Hockey League COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS—Signed F Cam Atkinson to a two-year contract. ST. LOUIS BLUES—Assigned F T.J. Hen- sick, F Adam Cracknell and D Ian Cole to Peoria (AHL). TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING—Reassigned F Blair Jones to Norfolk (AHL). WASHINGTON CAPITALS—Assigned G Braden Holtby to Hershey (AHL). COLLEGE RICHMOND—Signed men’s basketball coach Chris Mooney to a 10-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season. last moments and it just doesn’t have anything left to give. We were just a sit- ting duck waiting for those guys to go around us.’’ Johnson looked as if he were going to notch his fourth win in six starts at California. He started 16th and worked his way toward the front, tracking Busch down for the late pass after losing a race off the line to him on the final restart. Johnson just couldn’t hold off Harvick on those final two turns, earning another solid finish at Auto Club Speedway that he had hoped would be one place higher. ‘‘Looking back, maybe if I could have got by Kyle a lot earlier, maybe it could have made a differ- ence,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘But he (Harvick) was rolling off the top really, really fast.’’ Pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya never had much of a chance at winning his first oval race. A two-time winner on road courses, he led the first six laps, but wasn’t a factor after that, drifting deeper into the field before making a late charge to finish 10th. Other than Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing had a for- getful day thanks to more engine problems. Joey Logano qualified third, but had to start at the back of the pack after switching engines. He fin- ished 25th. Denny Hamlin qualified second and led 15 laps early before drop- ping back quickly after engine problems hit around Lap 80. He had to go off at the race’s mid- point and never made it back. JGR has now had engine problems in all five races this season. ‘‘We’ve got to get these engine problems worked out,’’ a discouraged Ham- lin said. President Obama comes up empty in Final Four WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has come up empty in the Final Four. Like millions of other fans around the country, Obama lost his last Final Four team — and his national champion — when top-seeded Kansas was stunned by Virginia Commonwealth in the Southwest Regional final Sunday. Obama picked all four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four in Houston, but Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Duke and Kansas have all been eliminated during a wild NCAA tournament filled with upsets. No. 8 seed Butler will play 11th-seeded VCU in one national semifinal Saturday. No. 3 seed Con- necticut faces fourth-seeded Kentucky in the other one. Obama filled out a bracket for ESPN for the third straight year. He is in the 94th percentile out of 5.9 million brackets submitted on ESPN.com.