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Sports 1B Monday January 18, 2010 Monday Boys Basketball — Mercy at Quincy Girls Basketball — Mercy at Quincy Soccer — Mercy at Liberty Christian, 3:15 p.m. NBA — Bulls at Warriors, 2:30 p.m., CSNBA NBA — Magic at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT Tennis — Australian Open, ESPN2, Noon, 6 p.m., Midnight Sanchez leads Jets to shocker SAN DIEGO (AP) — Maybe Rex Ryan already knows the score of the AFC championship game, too. The rookie coach who, at one point, didn't know his Jets were still in playoff contention, then declared them Super Bowl favorites, will need some more bold predictions. His Jets are still playing. Rookies Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene led New York to a stunning 17-14 upset of San Diego in the divisional playoffs Sunday, each providing a touch- down in the fourth quarter that marked another Charg- ers postseason pratfall. ''It's a big win for our franchise,'' Sanchez said, ''and we're not done.'' Sanchez threw a go- ahead, 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller three plays into the fourth quarter, then Greene gave the Jets some breath- ing room with a 53-yard scoring run on their next possession. The upstart Jets (11-7), who have won seven of their last eight, advanced to the AFC championship game for the first time since 1999. They'll play at top- seeded Indianapolis next Sunday. ''A matchup that proba- bly nobody wanted, but too bad,'' Ryan said. ''Here we come!'' Of course, it was the Colts who pulled Peyton Manning and other starters in the second half of their Week 16 game against the Jets, who rallied for a victo- ry that put them in control of their playoff destiny. Before that game, Ryan said his holiday wish was for the Colts to rest Man- ning & Co. ''I don't know if Santa Claus will be that good to me again,'' Ryan said. ''But I will say that I'd like to see Peyton Manning play this week.'' After the Jets finally did clinch a playoff spot by routing Cincinnati the fol- lowing week, Ryan, their rookie head coach, created a postseason itinerary for his players that included the Super Bowl in Miami fol- lowed by a parade two days later. He may be onto some- thing. Maybe this week he'll predict the Jets' opponent in the Super Bowl. ''We believed the whole time, the whole year, when it probably wasn't the popu- lar choice,'' Ryan said. ''We don't have to apologize to anyone.'' The Chargers let New York hang around long enough, and the Jets finally got out of their own way, becoming the only road team to win in the division- al round. After Philip Rivers scored on a 1-yard sneak with 2:14 left to pull the Chargers within three, the Jets recovered the onside kick. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the 29 with 1:09 left, the Jets called timeout. Ryan decided to go for it and Thomas Jones bulled through the Chargers' line for 2 yards. Sanchez pumped his fist and pointed his hand for- ward in the first-down sig- nal. Ryan lifted much small- er offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer off the ground in a bear hug. MCT photo New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez celebrates after defeatng the Chargers, 17- 14, in an AFC Divisional Playoff game in San Diego, Sunday. Kings lose against struggling Wizards WASHINGTON (AP) — At the end of one of the tough- est, most exhausting weeks in franchise history, the Wash- ington Wizards needed a few smiles. And a win. And a nice ovation. And a milestone moment for the coach — just as an added bonus. The Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 96-86 on Saturday night, one day after their biggest star pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge and less than 24 hours after a deflating, dou- ble-overtime loss at Chicago. Kevin Martin scored 23 points on 6-for-17 shooting, and Tyreke Evans scored 21 for the Kings, who shot 37 percent to lose their third straight and eighth in nine games. Martin was playing his second game after missing 32 with a wrist injury. ''We just need to close out games in the fourth quarter,'' Evans said. ''Crunch time is when good teams step up. We just kind of fall back and play how we've been playing the whole game instead of playing harder.'' Make no mistake, these were two tired, struggling teams. Both started the day having lost nine of 11, and both had quick turnarounds after playing the night before. Sacra- mento was in the second game of six-game road trip, while Washington was wrapping up a stretch of four games in five nights that happened to fall during one of toughest periods a team can imagine. Friday's guilty plea by Gilbert Arenas, the face of the franchise for much of a decade, was the culmination of weeks of distractions for the players, some of whom had to miss practice to be questioned by authorities. Even though Arenas is out of sight — indefinitely sus- pended by the NBA — Saunders pointed out that the saga isn't over, in part because Arenas won't be sentenced until March 26 and a final decision on the length of his suspen- sion has yet to be handed down by the league office. Still, it appears very unlikely Arenas will play for the Wizards again this season, and the team is trying to hang in there without him. After using a short rotation in recent games, Saunders had no choice Saturday but to go to his reserves early and often, giving players such as JaVale McGee and Dominic McGuire more minutes than usual. ''Those guys in there have been hurting,'' Saunders said. ''With the losses they hurt. With the situation, they hurt. And they want to do well. They want to represent the city in a positive way.'' Colts D delivers gem INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colts coach Jim Caldwell put a premium on speed for the playoffs. He wanted his defense to play faster — even if it meant giving up a shot at perfection, taking a few extra days off and perhaps missing a couple of assignments. Mission accomplished. Indianapolis' defense dominated Baltimore on Saturday night, limit- ing the run-first Ravens to just 87 yards and two first downs on the ground while keeping them out of the end zone. ''That was one of our goals,'' Caldwell said Sunday when asked if the Colts looked as fast on video as they did in person. ''I really believe in speed, particularly at a time of the year when maybe you can gain a step or two. I'd rather give up a little in preparation if you can pick up a step or two because you can make up for a mistake.'' For the Colts, it went against all expectations. Indy (15-2) finished the regular season ranked No. 24 against the run and No. 18 overall in defense. The Ravens (10-8) were supposed to play ball-control against the Colts, a week after running for 234 yards at New England. Saints never shaken METAIRIE, La. (AP) — With nine double-digit victo- ries during the regular season, the New Orleans Saints weren't all that surprised by the way they dominated their playoff opener. ''I don't think anyone in this locker room ever lost confidence in what we were capable of doing,'' Saints receiv- er Marques Colston said. ''You don't just win 13 games in this league by accident. So we knew the formula and it was just a matter of putting it together for 60 minutes.'' Colston and his teammates gathered at the Saints' sub- urban New Orleans training center on Sunday to review their 45-14 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in Saturday's divi- sional playoff game. Colston had six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, helping the Saints (14-3) score more points than in their previous three games combined. Coach Sean Payton intends to let his players rest on Monday and Tuesday. Practice will resume Wednesday as the Saints, who've never been to a Super Bowl, prepare to host the Minnesota Vikings (13-4) in the first NFC champi- onship game held in New Orleans next Sunday evening. Vikings run away with a win MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — ''This is what I came back for.'' For the adrenaline rush. For the in-your-face touchdown. For another shot at the Super Bowl. Brett Favre wanted all of it, and now he's got it. Four — count 'em, four — touchdown passes from Minnesota's 40-year-old quarterback sent the Vikings to the NFC cham- pionship game with a determined 34-3 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. ''Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating,'' Favre said, smiling. The Vikings (13-4) will take on the Saints next Sunday at New Orleans (14-3), with the winner going to the Super Bowl in Miami — the only reason Favre put retirement on hold for a second straight season. Favre found Sidney Rice for three scores and put an exclamation point on the final one when his fourth-and-3 pass from the 11 was caught in the end zone by Visanthe Shian- coe after the 2-minute warning. Never in 22 previous playoff games had Favre thrown for four scores, and never before had he beaten Dallas in the postseason after losses to the Cow- boys ended his first three playoff experiences with Green Bay. Favre finished 15 for 24 for 234 yards without a turnover, slapping fives with anyone in reach and rapidly pumping his right arm after each score. ''I feel like I'm playing the same way. I have the same enthusiasm,'' Favre said. ''As long as I'm out there, the enthusiasm and the passion that you see is real. And I know the guys feed off of that. Fans enjoy that, because it is real and genuine.'' Favre even added another accomplishment as the first 40-year-old quarterback to win a play- off game. ''Today was like this season: It's been wonder- ful,'' said Favre, whose only championship came 13 years ago with the Packers. The Vikings, who had last week off while the Cowboys whipped Philadelphia, were both- ered by all the people picking Dallas to win. ''The Tasmanian devils were coming from Dallas that were about to bom- bard the state of Minneso- ta and run through us like Sherman through the South,'' coach Brad Chil- dress said, exaggerating the popular opinion about this game. ''All of us felt it quite palpably.'' Fans, too, remembered Drew Pearson's alleged push-off in that 1975 play- off game and the Herschel Walker trade that fueled the Dallas dynasty of the '90s. So maybe this game meant a little more to the guys in purple than simply moving on to the semifi- nal, if not for the players then for the people who have cheered for the pur- ple for 49 years without a championship. Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking balked at the late touchdown, con- fronting Childress on the sideline. ''I think it was totally classless and disrespect- ful,'' Brooking said. Childress and Favre both chalked it up to stay- ing aggressive to the end. ''That wasn't rubbing it in. It's just taking care of business,'' the coach said. Ray Edwards led the Minnesota defense's harassment of Tony Romo, who sat stone- faced on the bench between possessions in the second half after a three-turnover game against one of his child- hood favorites. MCT photo Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking (51) tries to catch the Minnesota Vikings' Eric Frampton during game action in an NFC Divisional Playoff game Sunday. SCOREBOARD NFL Playoff By The Associated Press Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 9 N.Y. Jets 24, Cincinnati 14 Dallas 34, Philadelphia 14 Sunday, Jan. 10 Baltimore 33, New England 14 Arizona 51, Green Bay 45, OT Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 16 New Orleans 45, Arizona 14 Indianapolis 20, Baltimore 3 Sunday, Jan. 17 Minnesota 34, Dallas 3 N.Y. Jets 17, San Diego 14 Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 24 N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis, noon (CBS) Minnesota at New Orleans, 3:40 p.m. (FOX) Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 31 At Miami AFC vs. NFC, 4:20 p.m. (ESPN) Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7 At Miami NFC champion vs. AFC champion, 3:25 p.m. (CBS) NBA By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 27 11 .711 — Toronto 21 20 .5127 1/2 New York 16 24 .400 12 Philadelphia13 26 .33314 1/2 New Jersey 3 36 .07724 1/2 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 26 13 .667 — Orlando 26 14 .650 1/2 Miami 20 19 .513 6 Charlotte 19 19 .5006 1/2 Washington 13 26 .333 13 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 31 11 .738 — Chicago 18 20 .474 11 Milwaukee 16 22 .421 13 Detroit 14 25 .35915 1/2 Indiana 14 26 .350 16 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 26 14 .650 — San Antonio24 15 .6151 1/2 Houston 22 18 .550 4 Memphis 21 18 .5384 1/2 New Orleans2118 .5384 1/2 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 25 14 .641 — Portland 25 16 .610 1 Utah 23 17 .5752 1/2 Oklahoma City 22 18 .5503 1/2 Minnesota 8 33 .195 18 Pacific Division W L Pct GB L.A. Lakers 31 9 .775 — Phoenix 24 17 .5857 1/2 L.A. Clippers1722 .43613 1/2 Sacramento15 24 .38515 1/2 Golden State 11 27 .289 19 ——— Saturday's Games New Orleans 101, Indiana 96 Charlotte 125, Phoenix 99 Washington 96, Sacramento 86 Detroit 94, New York 90 Memphis 92, San Antonio 86 Oklahoma City 98, Miami 80 Utah 112, Milwaukee 95 Cleveland 102, L.A. Clippers 101 Sunday's Games Toronto 110, Dallas 88 Utah at Denver, late Monday's Games Portland at Washington, 10 a.m. Detroit at New York, 10 a.m. Oklahoma City at Atlanta, 11 a.m. Sacramento at Charlotte, 11 a.m. Milwaukee at Houston, noon New Jersey at L.A. Clippers, 12:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. San Antonio at New Orleans, 12:30 p.m. Chicago at Golden State, 1 p.m. Phoenix at Memphis, 2:30 p.m. Dallas at Boston, 5 p.m. Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday's Games Toronto at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Indiana at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Transactions By The Associated Press HOCKEY National Hockey League BOSTON BRUINS—Assigned D Andy Wozniewski to Providence (AHL). CAROLINA HURRICANES—Reas- signed F Zach Boychuk to Albany (AHL).