Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/7413
NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L Pct GB Lakers 45 15 .750 — Phoenix 38 24 .613 8 Clippers 24 35 .407 20.5 KINGS 20 39 .339 24.5 WARRIORS 17 41 .293 27 Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 40 21 .656 — San Antonio 34 24 .586 4.5 Houston 30 29 .508 9 New Orleans 31 30 .508 9 Memphis 30 30 .500 9.5 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 39 21 .650 — Utah 38 21 .644 .5 Okla. City 35 23 .603 3 Portland 36 27 .571 4.5 Minnesota 14 47 .230 25.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 36 21 .632 — Toronto 31 28 .525 6 Philadelphia 22 37 .373 15 New York 20 39 .339 17 New Jersey 6 53 .102 31 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Orlando 41 20 .672 — Atlanta 38 21 .644 2 Miami 29 31 .483 11.5 Charlotte 28 30 .483 11.5 Washington 21 36 .368 18 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 47 14 .770 — Chicago 31 29 .517 15.5 Milwaukee 30 29 .508 16 Detroit 21 38 .356 25 Indiana 20 39 .339 26 ——— Monday's results Atlanta 116, Chicago 92 Cleveland 124, New York 93 Dallas 89, Charlotte 84 Houston 116, Toronto 92 Orlando 126, Philadelphia 105 Phoenix 101, Denver 85 Portland 103, Memphis 93 San Antonio 106, New Orleans 92 Utah at L.A. Clippers, late Today's games Golden State at Miami, 4:30 p.m., CSNBA Sacramento at Oklahoma City,5 p.m.,CSNCA Boston at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. NCAA The Top Twenty Five The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 28, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking: Record Pts Pvs 1. Syracuse (59) 27-2 1,618 4 2. Kansas (6) 27-2 1,550 1 3. Kentucky 27-2 1,493 2 4. Duke 25-4 1,415 5 5. Kansas St. 24-4 1,377 6 6. Ohio St. 23-7 1,232 9 7. Purdue 24-4 1,169 3 8. New Mexico 27-3 1,151 10 9. Villanova 23-5 1,143 7 10. West Virginia 22-6 1,024 8 11. Michigan St. 22-7 960 14 12. Butler 26-4 762 15 13. Vanderbilt 22-6 741 16 14. BYU 26-4 633 13 15. Wisconsin 21-7 625 17 16. Tennessee 21-7 615 19 17. Pittsburgh 22-7 612 12 18. Gonzaga 24-5 554 18 19. Georgetown 19-8 548 11 20. Temple 24-5 547 20 21. Baylor 22-6 393 24 22. Maryland 21-7 249 — 23. Texas A&M 20-8 210 22 24. UTEP 22-5 124 — 25. Xavier 21-7 101 — Others receiving votes: Texas 94, Richmond 44, N. Iowa 32, Oklahoma St. 24, Marquette 21, Missouri 13, Illinois 10, Utah St. 9, Virginia Tech 8, Mississippi St. 7, UAB 6, Cornell 5, Louisville 4, Notre Dame 1, Old Dominion 1. Monday's Top 25 result No. 10 West Virginia 81, No. 19 Georgetown 68 Today's Top 25 games No. 1 Syracuse vs. St. John's, 4 p.m. No. 6 Ohio State vs. Illinois, 6 p.m., ESPN No. 9 Villanova at Cincinnati, 4 p.m., ESPN2 No. 13 Vanderbilt at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN No. 18 Gonzaga vs. Cal State Bakersfield, 6 p.m. No. 21 Baylor at Texas Tech, 5 p.m. No. 24 UTEP at Marshall, 4 p.m. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 40 13 9 89 204 153 Phoenix 37 21 5 79 167 158 Kings 37 20 4 78 185 166 Dallas 28 21 12 68 175 186 Ducks 30 25 7 67 177 189 Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 41 15 5 87 199 146 Nashville 33 23 5 71 170 173 Detroit 29 21 12 70 162 166 St. Louis 28 25 9 65 163 172 Columbus 25 28 10 60 166 203 Northwest Division W L OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 37 22 2 76 194 152 Colorado 35 21 6 76 180 161 Calgary 30 23 9 69 156 156 Minnesota 30 27 4 64 171 178 Edmonton 19 36 6 44 153 211 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 37 21 3 77 162 144 Pittsburgh 36 22 4 76 195 179 Philadelphia 32 25 3 67 179 160 N.Y. Rangers 28 27 7 63 161 169 N.Y. Islanders 25 29 8 58 159 194 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Ottawa 36 23 4 76 178 179 Buffalo 33 18 9 75 166 152 Boston 27 22 11 65 149 154 Montreal 29 28 6 64 164 176 Toronto 19 31 11 49 162 208 Southeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 41 13 8 90 247 177 Tampa Bay 26 24 11 63 160 182 Atlanta 26 24 10 62 182 194 Florida 24 27 10 58 155 177 Carolina 24 30 7 55 168 194 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Monday's result Detroit 3, Colorado 2 Today's games New Jersey at San Jose, 7:30 p.m.,VERSUS Carolina at Toronto, 4 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Florida at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Montreal at Boston, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Columbus, 4 p.m. Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., VERSUS Edmonton at Nashville, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. St. Louis at Phoenix, 6 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Kevin Harvick 506 2. Clint Bowyer 459 3. Mark Martin 457 4. Matt Kenseth 448 5. Jimmie Johnson 443 5. Greg Biffle 443 7. Jeff Burton 430 8. Joey Logano 413 9. David Reutimann 397 10. Carl Edwards 389 11. Tony Stewart 386 12. Kyle Busch 375 13. Jeff Gordon 373 14. Jamie McMurray 363 15. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 357 16. Scott Speed 348 17. Paul Menard 345 18. Brian Vickers 320 19. Kurt Busch 312 20. David Ragan 308 21. Martin Truex Jr. 304 21. Denny Hamlin 304 23. Kasey Kahne 277 24. Elliott Sadler 269 25. Regan Smith 252 26. Juan Pablo Montoya 248 26. AJ Allmendinger 248 28. Sam Hornish Jr. 246 29. Travis Kvapil 245 30. Brad Keselowski 240 31. Bobby Labonte 231 32. Ryan Newman 225 33. Marcos Ambrose 219 34. Robby Gordon 215 35. Max Papis 186 36. Boris Said 185 37. Mike Bliss 180 38. David Gilliland 158 39. Michael McDowell 138 40. Kevin Conway 125 41. Dave Blaney 121 42. Joe Nemechek 117 43. Michael Waltrip 109 44. Bill Elliott 82 45. Robert Richardson Jr. 70 46. Aric Almirola 68 47. John Andretti 49 Upcoming Schedule March 7 — Kobalt Tools 500, Hampton, Ga. March 21 — Food City 500, Bristol, Tenn. March 28 — Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500, Ridgeway, Va. April 10 — Subway Fresh Fit 600, Avondale, Ariz. Nationwide Points Leaders 1. Carl Edwards 505 2. Brad Keselowski 464 3. Brian Vickers 457 4. Justin Allgaier 449 5. Kyle Busch 424 6. Steve Wallace 423 7. Kevin Harvick 414 8. Greg Biffle 408 9. Paul Menard 398 10. Scott Riggs 359 11. James Buescher 347 12. Mike Wallace 346 13. Trevor Bayne 320 14. Jason Leffler 312 15. Joey Logano 311 15. Tony Raines 311 17. Brian Scott 310 18. Michael Annett 303 19. Scott Lagasse Jr. 297 20. Brendan Gaughan 293 Upcoming Schedule March 20 — Scotts Turf Builder 300, Bristol, Tenn. April 3 — Nashville 300, Lebanon, Tenn. April 9 — Bashas' Supermarkets 200, Avon- dale, Ariz. PGA TOUR FedExCup Leaders Rank Name Pts Money 1. Dustin Johnson 793 $1,727,450 2. Steve Stricker 780 $1,731,000 3. Ben Crane 617 $1,132,703 4. Ian Poulter 592 $1,442,525 5. Ryan Palmer 580 $1,106,202 6. Hunter Mahan 570 $1,174,793 7. Geoff Ogilvy 553 $1,227,660 8. Bill Haas 532 $923,850 9. Robert Allenby 529 $1,017,640 10. Matt Kuchar 517 $979,346 11. J.B. Holmes 474 $971,905 12. Luke Donald 442 $937,521 13. Rickie Fowler 437 $875,431 14. Tim Clark 417 $722,426 15. Brandt Snedeker 394 $657,746 16. Paul Casey 383 $1,010,000 17.Y.E.Yang 365 $710,360 18. Rory Sabbatini 354 $724,940 19. Charles Howell III 350 $654,890 20. Retief Goosen 328 $742,333 TENNIS ATP Money Leaders 1. Roger Federer $1,988,720 2. Andy Murray $988,600 3. Novak Djokovic $651,135 4. Marin Cilic $572,108 5. Nikolay Davydenko $471,450 6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga $425,204 7. Robin Soderling $421,251 8. Mikhail Youzhny $418,397 9. Sam Querrey $389,602 10. David Ferrer $329,628 WTA Tour Money Leaders 1. Serena Williams $1,984,467 2. Justine Henin $891,231 3. Venus Williams $740,046 4. Victoria Azarenka $385,892 5. Li Na $384,053 6. Zheng Jie $371,521 7. Elena Dementieva $260,942 8. Cara Black $245,813 9. Maria Kirilenko $230,986 10. Nadia Petrova $202,495 DEALS National Basketball Association INDIANA—Suspended F-C Solomon Jones one game for conduct detrimental to the team. Waived G Travis Diener. SAN ANTONIO—Waived F Michael Finley. WASHINGTON—Bought out the contract of G Mike James and waived him. National Hockey League CHICAGO—Acquired G Hannu Toivonen and D Danny Richmond from St. Louis for G Joe Fallon and assigned both players to Rockford (AHL). COLUMBUS—Acquired C Greg Moore from the New York Islanders for D Dylan Reese and assigned Moore to Syracuse (AHL). Recalled D Grant Clitsome. DALLAS—Signed F Steve Ott to a four-year contract extension through the 2013-14 sea- son. FLORIDA—Traded D Jordan Leopold to Pittsburgh for a 2010 second-round draft pick. NASHVILLE—Announced chairman of the board and owner David Freeman stepped down as chairman. Recalled F Colin Wilson and D Alexander Sulzer from Milwaukee (AHL). Acquired D Denis Grebeshkov from Edmonton for a 2010 second-round draft pick. N.Y. RANGERS—Recalled D Corey Potter from Hartford (AHL). PHOENIX—Recalled D Anders Eriksson and F Joel Perrault from San Antonio (AHL). ST. LOUIS—Assigned D Danny Richmond to Peoria (AHL). Recalled F Derek Armstrong from Peoria. TAMPA BAY—Recalled RW Mark Parrish from Norfolk (AHL). Reassigned G Jaroslav Janus to Norfolk. WASHINGTON—Recalled LW Quinin Laing, D Tyler Sloan and G Semyon Varlamov from Hershey (AHL). Major League Baseball American League BOSTON—Claimed RHP Casey Fien off waivers from Detroit. Designated RHP Gaby Hernandez for assignment. CLEVELAND—Agreed to terms with RHP Tom Mastny on a minor league contract. National Football League CHICAGO—Waived T Orlando Pace, TE Fontel Mines and G Tyler Reed. MOTORSPORTS NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS SERIES—Suspended Ray Hackett Racing crewman William Hileman indefinitely for vio- lating the substance abuse policy. Major League Soccer SAN JOSE—Signed MF Javier Robles. College ALABAMA—Named Kevin Sherrer director of football player development. EAST CAROLINA—Named Cary Godette director of football administration. INDIANA—Named Mo Moriarity offensive line coach. MEMPHIS—Named Tom Myslinski football strength coach. WAGNER—Fired men's basketball coach Mike Deane. Scoreboard Scoreboard 2B – Daily News – Tuesday, March 2, 2010 McMurray and Montoya at odds after Las Vegas wreck LAS VEGAS (AP) — The honey- moon is apparently over for Jamie McMurray, who celebrated his reunion with team owner Chip Ganassi with a career-changing Daytona 500 victory. A mere three weeks later, he's at the center of a team controversy following a wreck with Juan Pablo Montoya at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The two were running ninth and 10th midway through Sunday's race when McMur- ray lost control of his car and ran into his teammate. Montoya minced no words in expressing his displeasure, erupting on his team radio in words not fit for print. The emotional Colombian had calmed very little by the time he limped his car to the garage and met with media. ''I'm sure on the radio it was 'Ah, I didn't mean that,''' Montoya mocked in a high-pitched tone. ''He is just try- ing to prove to people he can drive a race car and I guess he isn't doing too many favors on this team.'' Ouch. The criticism continued hours after Montoya's 37th-place finish when his wife, Connie, went to Twitter and weighed in with a Spanish post that, roughly translated, said the McDon- ald's clown must have been driving McMurray's car on Sunday. The dig was a reference to the McDonald's sponsorship McMurray debuted at Las Vegas because the deal closed after his Daytona 500 victory. These are the type of feuds that can tear a race team apart. Although team- mates have hated each other in the past and still found a way to be successful, it's difficult in today's NASCAR and even harder for a smaller team such as Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. But as angry as Montoya may be with McMurray, this will likely blow over fairly quickly. Why? Because the drivers don't have to be best friends, or even like each other, for EGR to succeed. The only thing that's important is that they focus on the organization, which everyone seems determined to do going forward. EGR made monstrous strides last season when crew chief Brian Pattie guided Montoya to the team's first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, overcoming early orga- nizational issues to claim one of the coveted 12 spots. A merger between Ganassi and Dale Earnhardt Inc. had the two teams essentially operating individually for several months last season, but Montoya was able to suc- ceed despite the handicap. Those roadblocks were eventually overcome, and EGR had a true two-car team by the time last season ended. The unity has been evident with strong cars in all three races this year, plus McMurray's season-opening win. The trick for Ganassi now, though, is to soothe egos and hurt feelings before Sunday's incident takes the team back two steps. The team owner didn't seem con- cerned Monday. ''Obviously two teammates would not try to or want to tack each other out,'' said Ganassi, adding he thought Montoya ''will be calmer today.'' McMurray, who accepted blame and apologized publicly after the race, also downplayed any friction on Mon- day and said too much was being made of the situation. ''I spoke with him last night, and everything is fine,'' he said. Still, ''fine'' is a relative term, and, until coming to NASCAR, Montoya has never really been ''fine'' with his teammates. That's not really how it works in Formula One, where the team dynamics are so cutthroat that team- mates are often the most bitter of rivals. Montoya had seemed to soften since his 2006 move to NASCAR, where he became close with then- teammates David Stremme and Dario Franchitti. Franchitti had known Montoya for years through various open-wheel series in the U.S. and abroad, knew of his hot-tempered ways, and was friends with many drivers who had done stints as Montoya's teammate. So when Franchitti came to NASCAR, he spoke to Jimmy Vasser, who teamed with Montoya in CART, and had no qualms about working with him after that conversation. ''I knew it was not true that Juan can't be a good teammate because Jimmy told me so,'' Franchitti once said. If the friction hasn't blown over by this weekend's race at Atlanta, it won't necessarily mean that EGR will have a drama-packed weekend. If McMurray and Montoya never go to dinner together or watch movies at the track, it won't matter so long as the tension stays separate from the actual teams — something Pattie seemed convinced Monday will not be a difficult task. ''I'd say this is something between the drivers and has no effect at all on any of us on the shop floor,'' Pattie said. ''The teams work really good together, and we won't let that change.'' But what about Montoya's harsh remarks, which Pattie tried in vain to curb as the driver ranted on the team radio? ''People gotta understand that when you wreck good race cars, that's bad,'' said Pattie, ''when it happens with a teammate, well, that's worse.'' Pattie speaks from experience, too. After all, he was Scott Pruett's crew chief back in 2007 when Montoya wrecked his teammate to win the Nationwide Series race at Mexico City. It was Pattie and Pruett who had the harsh words that day, and although tension lingered for a bit, everyone eventually moved on. ''This is something that can go away with one conversation between Chip and the drivers,'' Pat- tie said. Crisp learns from his idol Rickey Henderson PHOENIX (AP) — Coco Crisp never saw Rickey Hen- derson play in the Oakland Coliseum, even though he spent parts of his summers visiting relatives in nearby Richmond. That didn't stop the young Crisp from wanting to play like him and from wanting to collect every baseball card ever produced of Henderson. These days Crisp is getting tips from the famed base stealer and leadoff hitter. It made him a little bit nervous at first. Now he's trying to absorb everything he can from Hen- derson. ''My goal as a kid was to go out and find every Rickey Henderson baseball card,'' Crisp said Monday. ''It got to be kind of a grind, but I still have most of them. There's been several more produced after I stopped collecting them.'' Crisp, who didn't play after June 12 last season because of surgery on both shoulders, particularly found Henderson's lesson on sliding head first informative. ''He gave us pointers on a few things and that was one of them,'' Crisp said. ''Basically it takes pressure off the body by getting lower and pushing into the slide rather than jump- ing into it.'' Crisp signed a $5.25 million, one-year contract with Oak- land because he wanted to play for a team in California, because he had family in the area and because ''this is where I hit my first home run ever'' — a tennis ball he hit over the fence of a Richmond park. His shoulders feel fine, though Crisp will likely be used as a designated hitter early in spring games. ''Injuries are always frustrating and it was a tough deci- sion to make not to continue playing,'' Crisp said. ''Normal- ly I would just play hurt, and if it were one shoulder, I would have. I couldn't do it with both shoulders hurting.'' He hit .228 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 49 games for the Kansas City Royals, who declined an option and paid a buyout. Crisp can play all three outfield positions but primarily is a center fielder, where the A's plan to use him. ''It was Rickey, Ken Griffey Jr., Ozzie Smith and Brett Butler,'' Crisp said of his childhood heroes. ''They all had different skill sets which made it fun for me to watch. I was a little nervous talking to Rickey at first but now I feel fortu- nate. I'm able to sit down and talk with him, not just say 'hi' to a favorite player, but listen to talk about his experiences. It's an exciting time for me.'' Notes: A's manager Bob Geren announced that RHP Trevor Cahill would start Thursday's spring opener against the Cubs in Mesa. He'll be opposed by Randy Wells. Clay- ton Mortensen, Jerry Blevins, Brad Kilby and Lenny DiNar- do are also scheduled to pitch. ... A's radio announcer Vince Cotroneo recorded about 30 promos in succession for the team's 15 affiliate stations. He said his record is 180 ''Peter Pan Peanut Butter'' promos that were used nationwide in 1990. NFL Combine: Decision-making process risky business for juniors INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Taylor Mays has no regrets about finishing his senior season at Southern Cal. Eric Berry saw no sense in risking everything one more time at Tennessee. The top two safeties in this year's NFL draft exem- plify the high-stakes choice dozens of college under- classmen debate each win- ter: Should they stay in school or should they jump to the NFL? ''He told me I'd be a fool to come back,'' Berry said with a laugh explaining the advice his defensive coordi- nator, Monte Kiffin, provid- ed. Kiffin's NFL pedigree helped Berry make an infor- mative choice, one that could bring in millions of dollars by August. The junior is projected to be a top-five pick in April and could become the first safety to go No. 1 overall since 1956. Mays made the other choice, going back to school to win a national champi- onship, become a more complete player and improve his draft position. Things didn't work out that way. The Trojans went 9-4, Mays was criticized for not living up to the hype and now Berry has surpassed him as the top-rated safety. While Mays could have gone in the top half of the first round last year, as the No. 1 safety, he's now ranked No. 2 and could slide into the bottom of the first round — costing him mil- lions. But Mays isn't second- guessing the decision. ''I was close (to leaving) and then at the end, I just got my eyes put onto the prize of trying to be the best, one more time,'' he said at this weekend's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis. ''Trying to learn the game a little bit more. It wasn't about coming out for the money or for the fame. It was more about coming out to really just be a finished product, and take all the chances I had to be the best safety I could be.'' Berry and Mays are the lucky ones. Both are still likely to go in the first-round draft picks despite any per- ceived flaws. Others aren't so fortu- nate. NFL defensive end Ade- wale Ogunleye likely would have been a first- or second- round choice after his junior season at Indiana. But he went back to school, injured his knee and wound making the Miami Dolphins in 2000 as an undrafted free agent. It happens, and making the right choice can be as risky as a poker. This year 53 underclass- men have declared for the draft. Some of the names are familiar — Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, Oklahoma defen- sive tackle Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant and Berry. Oth- ers, such as Nevada defen- sive end Kevin Basped and Marshall running back Dar- ius Marshall, are still trying to prove themselves. Why stay in school? ''I came back to become a better football player, and I feel like I did that, came back to help some of the young guys on my team learn like older guys before helped me,'' Mays said. The reasons for leaving can be very personal. Clausen, for instance, thought he did as much as he could in 2010. Bradford did- n't want to risk another shoulder injury that would make scouts question his durability. Berry, well, he wanted to give his dad a break. ''I had to put my family pretty much before my school,'' Berry said. ''Ever since I can remember, my mom and dad were always working. My dad worked two jobs. My dad just recent- ly had heart surgery and I really just wanted him to be able to sit down and just enjoy life for a little bit. I felt I could do that by entering the draft and making that sit- uation better.''