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2B Daily News – Saturday, January 21, 2012 Relentless Justin Smith leads Niners stellar D SANTA CLARA (AP) — Justin Smith bull-rushed Jermon Bushrod, driving the 315-pound NFL offensive lineman into the backfield as if he were a rag doll, reached over his shoulder and dragged quarterback Drew Brees to the ground to force an incomplete pass. The play in last week's playoff win over New Orleans showcased the skills that have made Smith the leader on the San Francisco defense that has led the 49ers to the NFC championship game against the New York Giants on Sunday. There is the brute strength that allows him to overpower opponents, the athleti- cism that leads to his big plays and an unmatched intensity and relentlessness that has made Smith one of the most unheralded stars in the game. Coach Jim Harbaugh called Smith the ''toughest player'' he has ever been around in his long career as a player and a coach. ''You talk about 10 out of 10. You can't get any better, can't be any better than 10 out of 10,'' Harbaugh said. ''Then, he finds a way to take it up another notch on the ladder when you didn't think there was another notch to go. ... The play where he's hurrying Drew Brees while he's being locked out by their left tackle. Legs off the ground and he's holding on to Drew and pulling him down. Is there an 11 out of 10? Is there such a thing? Is there a 12 out of 10? He just keeps finding another rung.'' Smith has been doing that all year. There was the play where he chased down the speedy Jeremy Maclin from behind to force the fumble in the closing minutes to seal a 24-23 victory at Philadel- phia in Week 4. There was the fourth-down pass he bat- ted down from Eli Manning in the final minute of a 27-20 victory in November when the Giants were 10 yards away from the potential tying score. Then there are the litany of other plays he made on a weekly basis to help lead San Francisco to a 13-3 regular-season record. ''I knew he was a good player,'' defen- sive coordinator Vic Fangio said. ''He's even better than my impression was. And I think what a lot of people forget about Justin is they fall in love with his tenacity, his effort, his toughness, which is all justi- fied, but he's got talent. He's a talented player. So, when you combine the intangi- bles that we spoke about with his talent, we get what we see this year.'' Smith played in just one playoff game in his first 10 seasons, losing to Pittsburgh with Cincinnati in the 2005 season. That led Fangio to put him on the cover of the defensive playbook, with the tag: ''0-1.'' Fangio wanted to motivate the unit to get Smith his first career postseason win and he got it last week with a 36-32 victo- ry over New Orleans. Now Smith is one win from a long-awaited Super Bowl trip. ''The opportunities are far and few between sometimes, and you got to make the most of it,'' he said. ''We're here right now and, as a team, we just have that mindset of, let's make the most of it, go out and try to take it.'' Overlooked for much of his career, Smith got some just due this season. He was picked earlier this month as a first- team All-Pro at defensive tackle and a sec- ond-teamer at defensive end — the first player ever picked at two defensive posi- tions in one season. With most attention on defensive line- men who pile up quarterback sacks, Smith makes his contributions by doing a little bit of everything, whether it's being stout against the run, collapsing the pocket from the inside to create sacks for teammates or making his own big plays. Smith had 7.5 sacks this season but did much more. He added 18.5 quarterback knockdowns, seven hurries and drew so many double teams that rookie Aldon Smith got 14 sacks of his own. ''He's just a bulldog,'' former All Pro defensive end and Fox analyst Michael Strahan said. ''I love watching him play because he's just tough. He's not a guy who will run around you and dance around you and look pretty. He doesn't care about that. He's just going to beat you up. That's always the best kind of guy to play with and the worst kind of guy to play against.'' Strahan said he and Hall of Famer Howie Long spent a lot of Sundays this season in the Fox studio marveling at Smith's play and talking about how he might be the defensive player of the year. Strahan is happy to see more praise go to an all-around lineman as opposed to a speed rusher worried only about getting to the quarterback. ''It kind of gets old to talk about a guy who doesn't really want touch the ground or run into anybody or be physical but just get sacks by running around all the time,'' Strahan said. ''Those are the guys who get attention as far as the defensive linemen are concerned. It's good to see him get that attention. Maybe all the focus will go to someone who's an all-around player and not somebody who is one-dimensional. He deserves it.'' Smith's teammates in San Francisco need no convincing. Smith has been the leader of what has been perhaps the league's top defense this season. He orga- nized the defensive portion of offseason workouts during the lockout, sets the tone each day with his work ethic. ''He gets those guys going up front each and every day in practice, during preparation,'' safety Donte Whitner said. ''It's his 11th year in the National Football League, and he looks like he's getting stronger and stronger.'' Smith has started 171 consecutive games, the third longest active streak among current players and almost never leaves the field. He played all 80 defensive snaps last week and even got on the field early as an extra blocker. He finished that game with three tack- les, a sack, five quarterback hits and showed no signs of ever getting tired. His impressive bull-rush came in the fourth quarter. ''That's how I always played,'' he said. ''I always played that much and I've always been on the field. I don't know how to do it any other way.'' Save on your classified with these coupons! You choose the number of times! No limit on the number of ads per customer, but each customer order MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH THE COUPON for the special(s) you want to use. All ads must be PAID IN ADVANCE by cash , check , MasterCard or Visa. Orders may be FAXED, MAILED OR BROUGHT INTO OUR OFFICE . Use the form below for mailing or faxing. Help wanted ads excluded. Our address is P.O. Box 220, Red Bluff, CA 96080, and our FAX number is 527-5774. Final deadline for coupons to be in our office is 12:00 Noon, on January 24, 2012, includes counter, mail and fax. 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NO REFUND or CREDIT if ad is canceled prior to scheduled ending date Print or type your ad in the box below, check the special coupon you wish to use and mail or fax together with your payment. Name_____________________________________________ Address____________________________________________ City______________________________ State___________ Zip_________________ Phone________________________ No. Of Ads W/coupon ______________________ BOLD LINE ($2 ADDITIONAL CHARGE). No copy changes or skip dating on these specials. No refund or credit if ad is canceled prior to scheduled ending date. Ads must be scheduled to start on or before Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Forms may be copied for additional ads or attach separate sheet. AD 1. KINGS (Continued from page 1B) ahead with just under 10 minutes left. The Spurs led 84-78 with 4 minutes to go but went cold down the stretch. Evans hit his game-winner in the face of Green, whose runner as time expired didn't even reach the rim. Splitter, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair all had 10 points for the Spurs. Dun- can, coming off a punishing back-to-back in Florida, did- n't play in the fourth quarter 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) yards and eight TDs, and can spring backup Kendall Hunter (32) a few times, it will make QB Alex Smith (11) more effective. In by far the best season of his seven- year career, Smith has avoid- ed turnovers, made more precise throws than ever and been patient. He also can use his legs, as he showed with that masterful sweep for a 28-yard TD against the Saints. Playing it smart on offense is San Francisco's style — out of necessity and thanks to the coaching acu- men of Jim Harbaugh. The receiving corps, other than TE Vernon Davis (85), is mediocre. Davis is a special talent and was a game-break- er against New Orleans, bringing himself to tears. If he is able to bring New York's secondary to tears, the Niners will be in great shape. But safeties Antrel Rolle (26) and Kenny Phillips (21) have shown better coverage skills in the last month than at any previous time, and we might even see CB Corey Webster (23) covering Davis at times. Smith's O-line is as good as Manning's, with T Joe Staley (74) and C Jonathan Goodwin (59) the standouts. They must neutralize the Giants' potentially overpow- ering pass rush led by All- Pro DE Jason Pierre-Paul (90), DEs Justin Tuck (91) and Osi Umenyiora (72), and revitalized LB Michael Boley (59). If backup TE Delanie Walker (46) can go after breaking his jaw — he says he will play — it will help the passing game immensely. The Giants stumbled often in pass coverage for much of the season, but came on in recent weeks against the likes of Tony Romo, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers. If Alex Smith has NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 26 13 5 57 126 104 Kings Dallas 24 20 2 50 123 131 Phoenix 21 19 8 50 124 128 Ducks 16 22 7 39 119 140 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 29 13 6 64 159 136 Detroit 31 15 1 63 152 107 St. Louis 28 12 6 62 117 94 Nashville 27 16 4 58 128 123 Columbus 13 28 5 31 110 152 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 28 15 4 60 151 117 Colorado 25 21 2 52 124 137 Minnesota 22 18 7 51 107 122 Calgary 22 20 6 50 114 134 Edmonton 17 25 4 38 116 132 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 29 12 4 62 126 94 Philadelphia27 14 4 58 150 133 Pittsburgh 26 17 4 56 145 122 New Jersey 26 18 2 54 127 130 N.Y. Islanders18 21 6 42 110 135 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 30 13 1 61 160 89 Ottawa 27 16 6 60 153 151 Toronto 23 18 5 51 143 141 Buffalo 19 23 5 43 115 144 Montreal 17 21 9 43 120 131 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Washington 25 19 2 52 128 130 Florida 21 15 10 52 116 130 Winnipeg 22 20 5 49 120 134 Tampa Bay 19 23 4 42 128 160 Carolina 17 24 8 42 127 156 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Friday's results Carolina 3, Washington 0 Chicago 3, Florida 1 Pittsburgh 5, Montreal 4, SO Tampa Bay 2, Dallas 1 Saturday's games San Jose at Vancouver, 1 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey, 10 a.m. Ottawa at Anaheim, 1 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Columbus at Detroit, 4 p.m. Florida at Winnipeg, 4 p.m. Montreal at Toronto, 4 p.m. Buffalo at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Chicago at Nashville, 5 p.m. Tampa Bay at Phoenix, 5 p.m. Dallas at Minnesota, 6 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton, 7 p.m. Colorado at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's games Washington at Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m. Boston at Philadelphia, Noon Colorado at Anaheim, 5 p.m. 23 15 10 56 106 107 save for the final 5.5 sec- onds. Cousins also had 17 rebounds for the Kings. Jason Thompson added 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings nearly let this upset slip away. They built a surprising 15-point lead early in the second quarter that quickly evaporated thanks to seven consecutive missed shots and bad deci- sions. Among them was Cousins getting a technical foul for protesting his third personal — despite team- mate J.J. Hickson racing toward referee Ed Malloy in to put up the ball 35 or more times, New York could be in good position to make its second Super Bowl in four years. Special Teams The 49ers have an All- Pro kicker in David Akers (2) and punter in Andy Lee (4). Need we say more about their kicking game? Akers set a league mark with 44 field goals, in part because San Francisco bogged down in the red zone too much. He also has kept his range despite being in his 13th season. The Niners return game isn't spectacular, although the inconsistent Ted Ginn Jr., who is slowed by a right knee problem, did break two returns for scores. Their cov- erage squads are very strong. Lawrence Tynes (9) has made almost as many clutch field goals as Akers, and his kickoffs have improved recently. Steve Weatherford (5) has been terrific in the second half of the season as the punter. Don't look for the Giants to break many long run- backs; they've gotten little production from anyone they've tried at it. More sig- nificantly, they didn't give up any TDs on returns. Coaching It's been perplexing for months that many Giants fans were eager for a coach- ing change, especially when the team hit the meat of the schedule and lost four straight. Coughlin stayed the course, never panicked, made sure his players kept their focus and look where he has them now. For the last four weeks, the Giants have been perfectly prepared, resourceful and more ener- getic than their opponents. Harbaugh's first pro sea- son as a head coach has been wildly successful. He changed the attitude in a once-divisive locker room, made his players believe in themselves, and provided a steady presence for the likes NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Clippers WL Pct GB 8 4 .667 — L.A. Lakers 10 7 .588 .5 Phoenix KINGS WARRIORS 59 .357 4 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 10 6 .625 — Memphis Dallas Houston 8 6 .571 1 9 7 .563 1 8 7 .533 1.5 New Orleans 3 12 .200 6.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 12 3 .800 — Denver Utah Portland Minnesota 11 5 .688 1.5 9 5 .643 2.5 9 6 .600 3 6 8 .429 5.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 11 4 .733 — New York Boston New Jersey 4 11 .267 7 Toronto Orlando Miami Atlanta WL Pct GB 6 9 .400 5 5 9 .357 5.5 4 12 .250 7.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 11 4 .733 — 10 4 .714 .5 11 5 .688 .5 3 12 .200 8 Charlotte Washington 2 13 .133 9 Central Division Chicago Indiana Cleveland WL Pct GB 14 3 .824 — 9 4 .692 3 6 8 .429 6.5 Milwaukee 5 9 .357 7.5 Detroit 3 13 .188 10.5 —————————————————— Friday's results Sacramento 88, San Antonio 86 Indiana at Golden State, late Chicago 114, Cleveland 75 Denver 108, Washington 104 Memphis 98, Detroit 81 Milwaukee 100, New York 86 Orlando 92, L.A. Lakers 80 Philadelphia 90, Atlanta 76 Phoenix 79, Boston 71 Portland 94, Toronto 84 Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, late Saturday's games Sacramento at Memphis, 5 p.m. Cleveland at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Denver at New York, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Portland at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at Chicago, 5 p.m. Dallas at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at New Jersey, 5 p.m. San Antonio at Houston, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Utah, 6 p.m. Sunday's games Boston at Washington, 10 a.m. Toronto at L.A. Clippers, 12:30 p.m. Charlotte at New Jersey, 3 p.m. Milwaukee at Miami, 3 p.m. Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 6:30 p.m. 6 9 .400 3.5 610 .375 4 hopes of talking him out of a whistle. He didn't make it in time. ''I gave him a chance,'' Malloy told Kings coach Keith Smart. A chance is rarely what the Kings have had on the road. The NBA's youngest team was routed by 39 points in Dallas last week. Four of Sacramento's next five games are on the road, too. It's one of the myriad challenges facing Smart, who took over Jan. 5 after Sacramento fired Paul Westphal. The Kings are 4-5 since. of Alex Smith, Davis and WR Michael Crabtree (15). He has a difficult chore coaching against a master such as Coughlin, but Har- baugh certainly won't back down. On the tube Saturday BOXING •6 p.m., NBCSP — Heavyweights, Eddie Chambers, (36-2-0) vs. Sergei Liakhovich (25-4-0); junior mid- dleweights, Gabriel Rosado (18-5-0) vs. Jesus Soto-Karass (24-6-0), at Philadel- phia COLLEGE FOOTBALL •3 p.m., NBCSP — NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, at Carson EXTREME SPORTS • 1:30 p.m., NBC — Winter Dew Tour, Pantech Invitational, at Killington, Vt. GOLF • 5:30 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, Volvo Champions, third round, at George, South Africa (same-day tape) •1 p.m., TGC — PGA Tour, Humana Challenge, third round, at La Quinta • 4:30 p.m., TGC — Champions Tour, Mitsubishi Electric Championship, sec- ond round, at Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •9 a.m., CBS — Alabama at Kentucky •9 a.m., ESPN — Purdue at Michigan St. • 10 a.m., ESPN2 — Xavier at Dayton • 11 a.m., CBS — Michigan at Arkansas • 11 a.m., ESPN — Missouri at Baylor • 11 a.m., CSNB — UCF at UAB • Noon, ESPN2 — Indiana St. at Creighton •1 p.m., CBS — Kansas at Texas •1 p.m., ESPN — Florida St. at Duke •1 p.m., CSNB — UCLA at Oregon •2 p.m., ESPN2 — Iowa St. at Texas Tech •3 p.m., ESPN — Syracuse at Notre Dame •3 p.m., CSNB — Stanford at Washing- ton • 4 p.m., ESPN2 — Mississippi St. at Van- derbilt •6 p.m., ESPN — Louisville at Pitts- burgh •8 p.m., CSNC—St. Mary's at Santa Clara • 10 p.m., CSNC — Fresno State at Nevada NBA • 4:30 p.m., NBATV—Denver at New York •5 p.m., CSNC—Sacramento at Mem- phis NHL • 10 a.m., NHL NETWORK — N.Y. Rangers at Boston •1 p.m., CSNC—San Jose at Vancou- ver •4 p.m., NHL NETWORK—Montreal at Toronto SOCCER • 4:30 a.m., ESPN2 — Premier League, Chelsea at Norwich City •7 a.m., FOX SOCCER — Premier League, Blackburn at Everton • 9:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Premier League, Liverpool at Bolton • 11:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Serie A, Juventus at Atalanta •10 p.m., FOX SOCCER—A-League, Gold Coast United at Sydney FC TENNIS •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Australian Open, round of 16, at Melbourne, Australia • Midnight, ESPN2 — Australian Open, round of 16, at Melbourne, Australia WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 9 a.m., FSN — Texas at Oklahoma Sunday EXTREME SPORTS • 12:30 p.m., NBC — Winter Dew Tour, Pantech Invitational, at Killington, Vt. GOLF • 5:30 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, Volvo Champions, final round, at George, South Africa (same-day tape) •1 p.m., TGC — PGA Tour, Humana Challenge, final round, at La Quinta • 4:30 p.m., TGC — Champions Tour, Mitsubishi Electric Championship, final round, at Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii NBA • 10 a.m., NBATV—Boston at Washing- ton NFL • Noon, CBS — Playoffs, AFC Champi- onship game, Baltimore at New England • 3:30 p.m., FOX — Playoffs, NFC Championship game, N.Y. Giants at San Francisco NHL • 9:30 a.m., NBC — Washington at Pitts- burgh SOCCER • 5:25 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Premier League, Tottenham at Manchester City • 7:30 a.m., FOX — Premier League, Manchester United at Arsenal • 11:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Serie A, Lazio at Inter Milan TENNIS •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Australian Open, round of 16, at Melbourne, Australia • 12:30 a.m., ESPN2 — Australian Open, round of 16, at Melbourne, Aus- tralia WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 11:30 a.m., CSNB — Texas Tech at Iowa St. • Noon, ESPN2 — Iowa at Penn St. • 1:30 p.m., CSNB — Colorado at Ari- zona •2 p.m., ESPN2 — Louisville at George- town • 3:30 p.m., CSNB — Washington St. at California • 5:30 p.m., CSNC — Memphis at UAB Monday MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m., ESPN — Syracuse at Cincin- nati •6 p.m., ESPN — Texas A&M at Kansas NBA • 4:30 p.m., NBATV — Orlando at Boston •5 p.m., WGN — New Jersey at Chica- go •7 p.m., CSNC—Sacramento at Port- land • 7:30 p.m., CSNB—Memphis at Gold- en State NHL • 4:30 p.m., NBCSP — St. Louis at Detroit • 6:30 p.m., CSNC — San Jose at Edmonton TENNIS •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Australian Open, quarterfinals, at Melbourne, Australia • 12:30 a.m., ESPN2 — Australian Open, quarterfinals, at Melbourne, Aus- tralia WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m.. ESPN2 — Tennessee at Notre Dame