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2B Daily News – Friday, May 13, 2011 Chicago knocks off Atlanta ATLANTA (AP) — Derrick Rose simply had to run the show. The MVP had plenty of help in this one, and the Chicago Bulls are off to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since M.J. was at the controls. Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and Rose doled out 12 assists, pushing Chicago out to a big lead in the first half that carried the Bulls past Atlanta 93-73 in the Eastern Conference semi- finals Thursday night. They finished off the Hawks in six games. Chicago advanced to its first confer- ence final since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on their way to a second three-peat. The Bulls fell on hard times after that glori- ous era, including three straight 60-loss seasons, but they have put together a deep, talented team that won more games than anyone during the regular season. Yep, even more than the ballyhooed Miami Heat, whose Big Three are waiting in the next round, with a spot in the NBA Final on the line. Game 1 is Sunday in Chicago. Rose was right in the middle of things, of course. He scored 19 points in addition to setting up all those bas- kets, but this was a textbook perfor- mance by the guys around him, each of them comfortable in a supporting role, each of them willing to do the dirty work at the defensive end. The most impressive number: Chicago had assists on all but seven of its 31 baskets. Or, come to think of it, maybe it was this stat: The Hawks shot just 37 percent (27 of 74) and rarely got an open look. That wasn't the case for Boozer. He kept winding up with the ball with no PONTE VEDRA one around, and kept knocking down jump shots. He went 10-of-16 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists. Luol Deng hit some big baskets early and finished with 13 points. Joakim Noah scored 11 and stifled the Hawks with three blocks. Omer Asik chipped in with two swats of his own. Keith Bogans made only one basket, but it was a big 3-pointer as the Bulls put it away in the third quarter. And, boy, did everyone play some defense. Atlanta had hoped to extend the series to a Game 7, feeling the pressure would be squarely on the Bulls if it came down to a winner-take-all. But Chicago squashed those hopes right from the opening tip. The Bulls never trailed, and the lead was 10 by the end of the first quarter. The Hawks had been in that posi- tion before. They fell behind by 15 in Game 5, then fought back to lead early in the fourth quarter. Chicago dominat- ed down the stretch for a 13-point win, but the Bulls weren't about to cut it that close again. With the loss, Atlanta extended an infamous playoff mark: The Hawks have never advanced past the second round since moving from St. Louis in 1968. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 19 points. Josh Smith was the only other player in double figures with 18. The Hawks went 1-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. Rose had been averaging nearly 30 points a game in the playoffs. No need for heroics in this one; he took just 14 shots, his lowest of the postseason, and wound up with his second-fewest points. That's OK. He got to spend the final minutes on the bench, celebrating with BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Phil Mickelson hit a shot onto the green and it rolled into the water. Ben Crane hit a shot over an island and it wound up on dry land. Tiger Woods played the shortest tournament of his career. Even on a relatively calm day, there’s no predicting what might happen at The Players Championship. The strangest sight of all Thursday was Woods, limp- ing off the ninth green and heading to the parking lot, but not before making a detour to a fitness trailer with a sign painted on the side that said, ‘‘Is knee pain holding you back?’’ Nine holes into this first tournament since the Mas- ters — where Woods said he had a ‘‘minor injury’’ to his left knee and Achilles — he couldn’t go on. He withdrew after a 42 on the front nine, his highest 9-hole score ever at the TPC Sawgrass. ‘‘I’m having a hard time walking,’’ he said. Nick Watney and so many others made it look easy, even though it rarely is on this crazy course. One week after he missed the cut for the first time in nearly a year, Wat- ney opened with an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Lucas Glover. Not only was it Watney’s best score at Sawgrass by four shots, he had a double bogey early in his round. ‘‘Last week in Charlotte, I got off to a bad start and I never really righted the ship,’’ Watney said. ‘‘So today to have a bad hole like that and still play a good round is a rewarding feeling, just because I didn’t let it affect the rest of my day.’’ Glover atop the leader- board was not unusual, not after he won last week at the SHARKS (Continued from page 1B) After a couple of big early saves by Howard, the Sharks broke through with their first power-play goal since Game 3. Joe Thornton threaded a perfect pass from behind the net to Setoguchi, who beat Howard with a one-timer for his fifth goal of the series. San Jose then killed off a SOFTBALL Coed 4 Wednesday’s results Dutch Mafia 3, North Valley Baptist 2 PC 314 13, Jewel Residential 2 Wells Fargo Championship to end a two-year drought since his U.S. Open title. He played the par-5 16th and the par-3 17th in eight shots, but not the way he would have thought. He hit into the water on the 16th to make bogey on the easiest hole at Sawgrass, then knocked in a 20-foot birdie on the island- green 17th. his teammates. Deng went down early, landing hard after Smith got a piece of him going for the block. Deng was OK, staying in the game to shoot a pair of free throws after a timeout. Then Atlanta got its own scare early in the second quarter. Jeff Teague, the fill-in point guard who had been the surprise of the series, landed on his right arm along the baseline. He went straight to the X-ray room, his arm dan- gling limply beside him as he trotted off in obvious pain. It was only a sprain, but Teague had it taped heavily when he returned late in the second quarter. During breaks, he rubbed at the tape and kept flexing his wrist. The second-year player was- n't a factor, scoring just 4 points on 2- of-6 shooting. But he was hardly the only one who struggled. Al Horford, who had been named to the All-NBA third team ear- lier in the day, went 2-of-10. So did Jamal Crawford. The Bulls raced out to a big lead for the second game in a row, led by Booz- er. He had 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in the first half as Chicago led by as many at 17. Atlanta made a late surge, the crowd on its feet when Smith pulled off a spectacular dunk on a lob from John- son — despite getting a shove from Noah as he was soaring toward the hoop. But a big call went against Smith, costing the Hawks a chance to cut the gap to single figures before halftime. He scored off another fast break, and the referees had to confer before ruling the Rose had drawn the offensive foul. Smith grabbed his head in disbelief and pleaded with the officials, to no avail. Chicago settled for a 45-35 halftime lead. Nick Watney opens with a 64 as Woods exits early PGA walking really slowly. He was walking behind us. But I didn’t know that it was because of pain or I just thought that he walks a little slower than me.’’ Crane shot a 68, a round highlighted because of a bogey. There were plenty of other surprises. Mark O’Meara, the 54- year-old who qualified for this prestigious event by winning the Senior Players Championship, returned to Sawgrass for the first time since 2003 and opened with a 66. The last time O’Meara had a score that low on this course, Woods was still in high school. He’s not very long off the tee, but this is one golf course that is not all about length. ‘‘Even when I went to dinner with Tiger last night, my wife Meredith said, ’How’s Mark hitting it?’ He says, ’Short.’ OK, yeah, I’m not 32 and strong,’’ O’Meara said. ‘‘But I hit it far enough.’’ Davis Toms also had a 66, and he managed to do that without a single bogey on his card. PGA champion Martin Kaymer, who can return to No. 1 in the world by win- ning or finishing alone in second this week, opened with a 67 along with U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Rory Sabba- tini. Kaymer was witness to the biggest news of the day. He was in the group with Matt Kuchar and Woods, although it became a two- some on the back nine when Woods left. ‘‘Nobody really knows how much pain he was in,’’ Kaymer said. ‘‘He was pair of Detroit power plays, getting the best chance when Thornton set up Dany Heat- ley on a two-on-one that Howard stopped with his blocker. The Sharks got the sec- ond goal in the final minute when Couture stole an outlet pass from Zetterberg, and in the same motion beat NHL PLAYOFFS Conference Semifinals Thursday’s result San Jose 3, Detroit 2 San Jose wins series 4-3 Other series Boston beat Philadelphia 4-0 Tampa Bay beat Washington 4-0 Vancouver beat Nashville 4-2 On the infamous island- green 17th, Crane caught a gust of wind as the ball was in flight and it took over the green. But the ball landed on the back of the wooden frame and bounced so far that it cleared the water and landed among the specta- tors. He then faced a scary pitch back to the island and hit the bulkhead in about the same spot, the ball rolling to the front of the green. He two-putted from 50 feet for his bogey, which could have been much worse. ‘‘A crazy day, a crazy game,’’ Crane said. Mickelson might have chosen a different word. He saw his tee shot land on the front corner of the green at No. 13, then begin rolling toward the bottom shelf until it dropped over the ledge. ‘‘I didn’t know it could possibly go in the water,’’ Mickelson said after a 71. ‘‘I think when I design golf courses, I try not to screw the player like that. I try to keep it a little bit fair. But those things happen.’’ Fortunes can turn quick- ly, as Watney showed. He was never in the hunt at Quail Hollow and never looked particularly happy. But he was grinning and laughing with swing coach Butch Harmon on the range, and he came out firing. ‘‘I was definitely disap- pointed,’’ Watney said. ‘‘But I figured there were two ways to react — you either sulk about it or come here. I flew here Saturday, did a lit- Howard with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle with 59 seconds left in the period. Notes: San Jose F Ryane Clowe returned to the lineup after missing Game 6 with an upper body injury. ... Kris Draper replaced Franzen in the lineup. NBA PLAYOFFS Conference Semifinals Thursday’s result Chicago 93 Atlanta 73 Chicago wins series 4-2 Today’s games Oklahoma City at Memphis, 6 p.m., ESPN Oklahoma City leads series 3-2 Other series Dallas beat L.A. Lakers 4-0 Miami beat Boston 4-1 The Players Championship At TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Purse: $9.5 million Yardage: 7,215;Par 72 (36-36) First Round Leaders Nick Watney 30-34— 64 -8 Lucas Glover 31-34— 65 -7 Mark O’Meara 34-32— 66 -6 David Toms 33-33— 66 -6 Martin Kaymer 33-34— 67 -5 Rory Sabbatini 35-32— 67 -5 F. Jacobson 35-32— 67 -5 G.McDowell 35-32— 67 -5 Alvaro Quiros 35-32— 67 -5 Davis Love III 34-34— 68 -4 Ben Crane 33-35— 68 -4 J.B. Holmes 34-34— 68 -4 Jason Dufner 32-37— 69 -3 Brian Davis 32-37— 69 -3 Y.E.Yang 36-33— 69 -3 Matt Kuchar 33-36— 69 -3 Luke Donald 35-34— 69 -3 Robert Allenby 34-35— 69 -3 Troy Merritt 34-35— 69 -3 Jeff Overton 36-33— 69 -3 Jason Day 35-34— 69 -3 Steve Stricker 35-34— 69 -3 Kris Blanks 34-35— 69 -3 Paul Goydos 33-36— 69 -3 tle bit of work Sunday, just figured I’d get on with it and use it as motivation.’’ He holed a 15-foot putt on the 10th hole, got up-and- down from the bunker on the par-5 11th and nearly holed his approach on the 12th. Then came the 14th, where Watney was caught in the large mounds right of the fairway. He chopped up one shot and three-putted from medium range for a double bogey, then bounced back with a birdie on the next hole. His highlight came on the par-5 second, when he holed out a bunker shot for eagle. Glover also made birdie on his first hole, which does- n’t mean much over the course of four days, but meant plenty to him. ‘‘Got things going,’’ Glover said. ‘‘Just the confi- dence from last week, from looking up and seeing the ball where I’m looking instead of not. And that’s been an issue.’’ MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 4 2 5 17 13 11 Salt Lake 5 1 0 15 9 2 FC Dallas 4 3 2 14 11 10 Colorado 4 3 2 14 11 9 Seattle 3 3 4 13 12 10 Portland 4 3 1 13 11 13 Chivas USA 2 3 3 9 8 7 Vancouver 1 4 5 8 12 15 QUAKES 14 3 6 7 11 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA New York 4 1 3 15 11 3 Philadelphia 4 2 2 14 6 4 Columbus 3 1 4 13 8 6 Houston 3 3 3 12 13 10 D.C. 3 4 2 11 12 17 N. England 2 3 4 10 8 12 Toronto FC 2 4 4 10 9 15 Chicago 1 3 4 7 10 13 Kansas City 1 4 1 4 10 13 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ————————————————— Wednesday’s late result Vancouver 1, San Jose 1, tie MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 21 17 .553 — A’s Seattle 16 22 .421 5 East Division WL Pct GB Tampa Bay 22 15 .595 — New York 20 15 .571 1 Baltimore 17 19 .472 4.5 Boston 17 20 .459 5 Toronto 17 20 .459 5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cleveland 23 13 .639 — Kansas City20 17 .541 3.5 Detroit 20 18 .526 4 Chicago 15 23 .395 9 Minnesota 12 23 .343 10.5 ————————————————— Thursday’s results Baltimore 2, Seattle 1, 12 innings Kansas City 11, New York 5 Tampa Bay 7, Cleveland 4 Today’s games Chicago (Humber 2-3) at Oakland (McCarthy 1-3),7:05 p.m.,CSNC Boston (C.Buchholz 3-3) at New York (Colon 2-1), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Kansas City (Hochevar 3-3) at Detroit (Verlander 3-3), 4:05 p.m. Seattle (Fister 2-4) at Cleveland (Carmona 3-3), 4:05 p.m. Baltimore (Guthrie 1-5) at Tampa Bay (Hellickson 3-2), 4:10 p.m. Los Angeles (Weaver 6-2) at Texas (Ogando 3-0), 5:05 p.m. Toronto (R.Romero 2-4) at Minnesota (Pavano 2-4), 5:10 p.m. Saturday’s games Chicago at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. Seattle at Cleveland, 10:05 a.m. Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 1:10 p.m. Kansas City at Detroit, 1:10 p.m. Los Angeles at Texas, 1:10 p.m. Toronto at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m. Boston at New York, 4:10 p.m. Wednesday’s late results Kansas City 4, New York 3, 11 innings Chicago 6, Los Angeles 4, 10 innings 19 18 .514 1.5 19 18.514 1.5 Niners want versatility from 2011 draft picks SANTA CLARA (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke looked for one clear trait to shine above all others when evaluating players ahead of the NFL draft: Versatility. That was the word Baalke used over and over again dur- ing a film session with beat writers Thursday, breaking down tape on all of San Francisco’s 10 picks and showing why the team believes each was the right choice. ‘‘What’s their versatility? What’s their impact on the team? We want guys to be able to do a variety of things,’’ Baalke said. ‘‘We want guys who bring value to the team and are good at more than just one thing.’’ With the exception of second-round pick Colin Kaeper- nick, the 49ers expect all their new rookies to do multiple things and play multiple positions. Baalke spent the bulk of the nearly two-hour session dis- secting Kaepernick’s play at Nevada, highlighting traits that convinced San Francisco he can be the quarterback of the future. The ability to improvise with his athleticism and make something out of nothing was perhaps the most intriguing of Kaepernick’s skills for the 49ers. One of the eye-popping plays that impressed Baalke on film coincidentally came in San Francisco at the Fight Hunger Bowl against Boston College: Kaepernick drops back, looks left, looks right, then fires a pass over the middle to his tight end streaking across the middle as five players — both safeties and all three linebackers — converge on the play, tucking the ball into a tight seam for a critical comple- tion. While some might call it a poor decision to throw into five defenders, Baalke saw it as a gutsy move that the 49ers need their quarterback to complete in the face of pressure. ‘‘Do I want him making that throw? Absolutely,’’ Baalke said. ‘‘I want a guy that’s confident enough to throw it into the defense.’’ The 49ers don’t plan to tinker with Kaepernick’s some- what unconventional delivery, which is between a sidearm and over-the-top motion. Baalke equated it to the different styles of golf swings or batting stances that can be effective in their own ways. ‘‘It’s the end result that matters,’’ he said. What San Francisco does plan to change is some of its draftees’ positions. Among the notables: No. 7 overall pick Aldon Smith was a defensive lineman at Missouri but will play outside line- backer in a 3-4 scheme; South Carolina’s Chris Culliver will make the switch from safety to cornerback; Central Florida defensive end Bruce Miller will move to fullback; and Michael Person of Montana State will make the move from left tackle to guard. The 49ers also expect almost everyone — aside from Smith and Kaepernick — to contribute to special teams immediately. Not that any of these moves might take place this summer. With the NFL lockout already canceling some offseason workouts, the transition from college might only be more complicated for players in this offseason of uncertainty. Only a few veterans received playbooks during the brief time the lockout was lifted a couple of weeks ago, and the rest will have to find copies from teammates or fend for themselves to learn new coach Jim Harbaugh’s system. ‘‘The lockout has certainly created some hurdles,’’ Baalke said. ‘‘The new coaching staff, new terminology. But hurdles have to be overcome. And we’ll find a way to get over them and clear them.’’ NFL players ask for $707M MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Seeking more clout in their fight with the NFL, locked-out players asked a federal judge Thursday to make $4 billion in disputed broadcast revenue off limits to the league and to award them at least $707 million in damages, too. U.S. District Judge David Doty took the request under advisement after a two-hour hearing that included argu- ments from attorneys for the league and the players. Jeffrey Kessler, an attor- ney for the players, urged Doty to rule quickly on the request to put the $4 billion ‘‘war chest’’ in escrow because of the ongoing lock- out. The players have argued that the league can make it through the work stoppage in part because it illegally secured that money by rene- gotiating TV contracts for 2011 that allows the NFL to get paid even if there are no games to televise. Gregg Levy, an attorney for the league, said the play- ers have no right to dam- ages. MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB GIANTS 21 16 .568 — Colorado 19 16 .543 1 Dodgers 18 20 .474 3.5 Arizona 15 21 .417 5.5 Padres 15 22 .405 6 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia24 12 .667 — Florida 21 15 .583 3 Atlanta 21 18 .538 4.5 Washington 18 19 .486 6.5 New York 17 20 .459 7.5 Central Division WL Pct GB St. Louis 22 16 .579 — Cincinnati 20 17 .541 1.5 Pittsburgh 18 19 .486 3.5 Chicago 16 20 .444 5 Milwaukee 16 21 .432 5.5 Houston 14 23 .378 7.5 ————————————————— Thursday’s results San Francisco 3, Arizona 2 Atlanta 6, Washington 5, 10 innings New York 9, Colorado 5 St. Louis 9, Chicago 1 Los Angeles at Pittsburgh, ppd., rain Today’s games San Francisco (Bumgarner 0-5) at Chicago (Dempster 1-4),11:20 a.m.,CSNB Florida (Volstad 2-2) at Washington (Gorzelanny 2-2), 4:05 p.m. St. Louis (Lohse 4-2) at Cincinnati (Arroyo 3-3), 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Hamels 4-2) at Atlanta (Beachy 1-1), 4:35 p.m. New York (Gee 2-0) at Houston (Norris 2-2), 5:05 p.m. Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 2-2) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 3-2), 5:10 p.m. San Diego (Moseley 1-4) at Colorado (De La Rosa 4-1), 5:40 p.m. Arizona (J.Saunders 0-4) at Los Angeles (Kershaw 4-3), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s games San Francisco at Chicago, 4:10 p.m. Florida at Washington, 10:05 a.m. Philadelphia at Atlanta, 10:10 a.m. San Diego at Colorado, 12:10 p.m. New York at Houston, 1:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m. St. Louis at Cincinnati, 1:10 p.m. Arizona at Los Angeles, 4:10 p.m. Wednesday’s late results San Francisco 4, Arizona 3 Chicago 11, St. Louis 4 San Francisco 49ers Chicago 93 CHI Atlanta 73 4-2