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2B Daily News – Thursday, November 1, 2012 WARRIORS Curry signs $44M extension OAKLAND (AP) — While the stability of Stephen Curry's right ankle remains uncertain, his financial footing with the Golden State Warriors has never been more secure. four-year contract extension before Wednesday night's season opener at Phoenix that will keep the point guard with the Warriors through the 2016-17 season. It was the final day Golden State could sign Curry to an extension or he would become a restricted free agent next summer. ''I just thought the deal was too good to pass up right now,'' Curry said before the Warriors' season opener against the Suns. ''Obviously I've been through a lot of injuries the last year and a half with my ankle, but it's back strong and ready to go.'' Curry missed 40 of 66 games last season and sprained his twice-surgically repaired right ankle again in the preseason, sit- ting out the final two exhibitions at the request of second-year coach Mark Jackson. New War- riors general manager Bob Myers and owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber felt the point guard was still worth the risk given his production when healthy. ''This is an exciting day for Curry signed a $44 million, the Warriors and our fans and it certainly exemplifies the com- mitment of Joe Lacob and Peter Guber,'' Myers said in a state- ment. ''We're extremely pleased that we have reached an agree- ment that will enable Stephen to remain a vital part of our team long term. His contributions over the last three years, both on the floor and in the community, have been invaluable to our organiza- tion. We certainly expect him to be an integral part of our future success as he continues to evolve KINGS (Continued from page 1B) 2:45 remaining. The Kings, who are trying to make a jump after six straight losing seasons, got 15 points from Marcus Thornton and 14 from DeMarcus Cousins. This time last year, the Bulls were eyeing a championship run. Now, with their superstar sidelined, there's a dif- GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) ered for the rally in Civic Center Plaza. He said the tagline of the 2012 Giants was ''never say die,'' a reference to the team's come-from-behind, post- season dominance. ''I thank you for as a player in all facets of the game.'' The 24-year-old Curry aver- aged career lows of 14.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season. He has still proven to be one of the NBA's most prolific scorers when he's on the court, shooting 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range in his first three seasons. Curry said he believed in the direction the team is heading. ''I've just seen the difference from my rookie year of where the organization is going,'' he said. ''It's definitely promising and I'm optimistic about where we can go, especially with what we did over the summer and even last year in getting such a deep roster, them making moods and putting a good product on the floor. It's up to us now to go out and play.'' The Warriors are counting on Curry to form half of the new franchise tandem. Curry is expected to team with center Andrew Bogut, who did- n't play in the preseason. The team has said Bogut has not had any setbacks on his surgically repaired left ankle, which he fractured on Jan. 25 while with Milwaukee and missed the rest of the season. a swap for guard Monta Ellis, among others, before last sea- son's trade deadline. Bogut had hoped to return for the season opener, but the team never set any deadline, and even if the 7- footer from Australia played it likely won't be for extended minutes. Bogut came to Golden State in exhibitions after he sprained his right ankle at Portland on Oct. 19. The former Davidson star and native of Charlotte, N.C., Curry sat out the last two ferent vibe around Chicago. The mood changed when Rose crashed to the court late in the Bulls' playoff-opening win over Philadelphia, sending the Bulls spiral- ing toward a first-round exit and casting a huge cloud over a team that many saw as the biggest threat to Miami in the Eastern Conference. To many, they're treading water until Rose returns. The Bulls, inspiration.'' always being there, for never giving up,'' he said. ''Thank you for showing up wherever we've been and making this one of the greatest moments of my life.'' Earlier in the day, clouds of black, orange and white confetti were shot from cannons posi- tioned on roofs and along the canyon-like, sky- scraper-lined street. It showered spectators and parade participants, who included legendary Giants alumni Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal and politicians such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. As with the 2010 parade, this year's two- hour edition drew a cross- section of the region's diversity, from children who were allowed to skip school to older couples who had been Giants fans since the team arrived in San Francisco from New York in 1958. Sandoval, who swatted three home runs in his first three at bats in Game 1, and second baseman Marco Scutaro, who bat- ted in the winning run of the game that clinched the title, addressed the throngs at the rally in Spanish. ''This is the second, Series MVP Pablo but there are going to be a lot more,'' Sandoval said, expressing special thanks to the Bay Area's Latino community. ''You should enjoy this and feel this in your hearts.'' The unifying energy of the Giants' latest victory was evident as San Fran- cisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith drove the car carrying Giants pitcher Matt Cain and his family, while 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh did the honors for the Giants' Brandon Belt. fans clean views along the parade route that began at the foot of Mar- ket Street near San Fran- cisco Bay and ended on the steps of City Hall, across from the overflow- ing plaza. The convertibles gave Star reliever Sergio Romo, wearing a T-shirt that read, ''I just look illegal,'' whipped the roaring crowd into a fren- zy when he got out of his convertible and mingled. ''It's unbelievable! drafted seventh overall by the Warriors in 2009, had arthro- scopic surgery in April and had surgery to repair a tendon in the ankle in the summer of 2011. Golden State signed Curry at somewhat of a discount. Ty Law- son signed a four-year, $48 mil- lion extension with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Without the ankle concerns, Curry would've likely commanded at least that much. ''Right now, for them to offer me what they did after what I've been through says a lot about, one, where my ankle is now, but, two, just their faith in what I can do,'' Curry said. ''Obviously things would have been different playing out the year, me playing well, next year I don't what the number would have been, but that's not even a question I'm asking myself now. '' The Bogut-Curry combo has enough support around it for the Warriors to believe they have a strong shot to make the playoffs for only the second time since 1994 — if all can stay healthy, which hasn't been the case in recent seasons. Power forward David Lee, who has averaged close to a dou- ble-double most of his career and missed the end of last season fol- lowing surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, will start along with second-year shooting guard Klay Thompson and sev- enth overall pick Harrison Barnes of North Carolina at small forward. RAIDERS Huff excelling at cornerback ALAMEDA (AP) — After a rough adjustment when he first made the move from safety to cornerback for the Oakland Raiders, Michael Huff is now starting to feel right at home at his new position. Huff has provided lock- down coverage on the out- side the past few weeks to bolster a banged-up sec- ondary that has been miss- ing both starting corner- backs Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer because of injuries since midway through the second game of the season. moving Huff from free safe- ty, where he could survey the entire field, to corner- back, where his main responsibility was shutting down one receiver. That led to the Raiders He has made quite the adjustment. ''It wasn't quick enough Golden State is deeper than in recent years, too. Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, Carl Landry and Richard Jefferson fill out a veter- an bench complementing rookies Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli. of course, don't see it that way. Notes: Bulls F Taj Gibson did not expect to agree to a contract extension before the deadline late Wednesday night. Asked before the game if he's turning down the Bulls' offer, Gibson said that's ''the way I see it.'' Without an extension, he becomes a restricted free agent. The Bulls would have the right to match any offer he said Janet Clark, 55. ''That's exactly who the Giants are.'' With the victory parade coinciding with Halloween, costumed masses brought an even more festive feel to what city officials hoped would be a family friend- ly, alcohol-free event. Kevin Yarbrough wore a giant white panda cos- tume in tribute to San- doval, whose nickname is the ''Panda.'' Richmond resident ''You've got to come out and celebrate like this. You meet a whole new family, make new friends, and it really lets the community celebrate in a positive way,'' he said. spokesman Michael Andraychak said a hand- ful of people were arrest- ed for public intoxication and officers issued a few citations for fighting, but the crowds generally were cooperative. San Francisco police Some fans carried brooms as a reminder of the Giants' four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers. Later, San Fran- cisco Mayor Ed Lee handed Giants President Larry Baer a ceremonial metal ''broom to the city'' along with the cus- Casandra Buenrostro, 25, who arrived at the plaza at 5 a.m. so she could get pictures of San- doval, did. ''He made me cry,'' Buenrostro said. ''He's an Unbelievable! Just great!'' said fired-up right fielder Hunter Pence, who was acquired in a midseason deal and led pregame pep talks. At the rally, Pence persuad- ed his teammates to jump around the stage to demonstrate the ritual. ''I loved it when they started acting goofy,'' NASCAR Spring Cup Points Leaders 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,291 2. Brad Keselowski 2,289 3. Clint Bowyer 4. Kasey Kahne 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Jeff Gordon 7. Martin Truex Jr. 8. Matt Kenseth 9. Greg Biffle 10. Tony Stewart 11. Kevin Harvick 2,265 2,262 2,242 2,237 2,228 2,226 2,222 2,220 2,203 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,151 receives from another team. ... The Bulls appointed Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen senior adviser to president and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf. Pip- pen has been serving as a team ambassador. In a statement issued Wednesday, Reinsdorf said the new title will ''better reflect his role with the Bulls.'' tomary key. Alex Warlen and Kelly Simms, both 17, were among the hundreds of peo- ple who camped out overnight in the plaza to ensure they had prime viewing spots. Warlen is a pitcher and Simms a catch- er for the softball team at San Francisco's Mercy High School. The team is co-champion of its division. ''Buster is the reason I'm a catcher,'' read a sign Simms carried, referring to the Giants' Buster Posey. The high school seniors said Mercy administrators gave students the day off, so they weren't cutting school. ''We would have skipped anyway,'' Simms said. MLS WILD CARDS Wednesday's result Houston 2, Chicago 1 Thursday: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. WESTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals San Jose vs. Vancouver/Los Angeles winner Sunday: San Jose at Vancouver/Los Angeles winner, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7:Vancouver/Los Ange- les winner at San Jose, 8 p.m. Seattle vs. Real Salt Lake Friday: Real Salt Lake at Seattle, 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8: Seattle at Real Salt Lake, 6:30 p.m. Championship Sunday, Nov, 11 or Monday, Nov. 12: semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 or Sunday, Nov. 18: semifinal winners, TBD EASTERN CONFERENCE Semifinals D.C. United vs. New York Saturday: D.C. United at New York, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: New York at D.C. Unit- ed, 5 p.m. Kansas City vs. Chicago/Houston win- ner Sunday: Kansas City at Chicago/Houston winner, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: Chicago/Houston winner at Kansas City, 6 p.m. Championship Saturday, Nov. 10: semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 or Sunday, Nov. 18: semifinal winners, TBD for me,'' Huff said. ''I had those couple of rough games early. I knew I'd go through some growing pains. I had never really played outside for a whole stretch. I knew I'd go through some grow- ing pains and I'm starting to learn from them.'' After being picked apart for 12 catches on 17 attempts by Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Denver's Peyton Manning in his first two games, according to game charting by Pro Foot- ball Focus, Huff has shown marked improvement since the bye week. Atlanta's Matt Ryan went after him repeatedly three weeks ago, but Huff more than held his own, allowing five catches for 62 yards on 12 attempts. He also intercepted one pass and broke up three others as his increased confidence showed up on the field. ''I kid him all the time. I think he's a lot better corner than he is safety,'' Bartell said. ''I've been impressed with Huff. That's tough to ask a guy to do. He hasn't played a lick of corner all camp and all OTAs and then NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific WL Pct GB Golden State 0 0 .000 — L.A. Clippers 0 0 .000 — Phoenix 0 0 .000 — L.A. Lakers 0 1 .000 1/2 KINGS Southwest WL Pct GB San Antonio 1 0 1.000 — Houston Dallas Memphis New Orleans 0 1 .000 1 Northwest Utah Minnesota WL Pct GB 1 0 1.000 — 0 0 .000 1/2 Oklahoma City 0 0 .000 1/2 Portland Denver 0 0 .000 1/2 0 1 .000 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic WL Pct GB Philadelphia 1 0 1.000 — Brooklyn New York Boston Toronto Southeast Miami Atlanta Charlotte Orlando WL Pct GB 1 0 1.000 — 0 0 .000 1/2 0 0 .000 1/2 0 0 .000 1/2 Washington 0 1 .000 1 Central Cleveland Indiana Chicago WL Pct GB 1 0 1.000 — 1 0 1.000 — 1 0 1.000 — Milwaukee 0 0 .000 1/2 Detroit 0 1 .000 1 —————————————————— Wednesday's results Philadelphia 84, Denver 75 Indiana 90, Toronto 88 Houston 105, Detroit 96 Chicago 93, Sacramento 87 San Antonio 99, New Orleans 95 Utah 113, Dallas 94 Golden State at Phoenix, late Memphis at L.A. Clippers, late L.A. Lakers at Portland, late Today's games New York at Brooklyn, ppd. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m. Friday's Games Indiana at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Denver at Orlando, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Houston at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. Sacramento at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Utah at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Portland at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Miami at New York, 5 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Memphis at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.. 0 0 .000 1/2 0 0 .000 1/2 0 1 .000 1 0 1 .000 1 1 0 1.000 — 1 1 .500 1/2 0 0 .000 1/2 01 .000 1/2 guys go down and he's able to go in in a pinch. He's got- ten better every game, and he takes pride in it. I'm real- ly impressed with him.'' Huff said going up against accomplished passers like Roethlisberger and Manning his first two games has paid dividends. He has had nearly airtight coverage the past two games. ball Focus, Huff has been in coverage for 84 snaps the past two weeks and allowed just one catch for 2 yards on seven throws his direction in that span. ''I'm not ready to put him in the Hall of Fame yet, all right,'' coach Dennis Allen said. ''I don't think Willie Brown has anything to worry about yet. But he has improved. That's what we expect and that's what we will continue to expect, that every day he has an opportu- nity to go out and work he'll get a little bit better every week.'' Huff said he still tries to According to Pro Foot- take in the entire formation before each play as he did as a safety, observing the align- ment of receivers on the opposite side of the field for any clue about what type of play will be run. But once the ball is snapped his vantage point changes and he is focused almost solely on the receiver he is responsible for and the quarterback. Many players have made the opposite move that Huff did as they get older and no longer have the speed and athleticism to play on the outside. Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber, who is play- ing the Raiders this week, made the switch this season after playing primarily cor- nerback his first 15 seasons. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Denver 4 3 0 .571 204 152 San Diego 3 4 0 .429 154 144 RAIDERS 34 0 .429139 187 Kansas City 1 6 0 .143 120 209 East New England5 3 0 .625 262 170 Miami WL T Pct PF PA 4 3 0 .571 150 126 Buffalo 3 4 0 .429 171 227 N.Y. Jets 3 5 0 .375 168 200 South WL T Pct PF PA Houston 6 1 0 .857 216 128 Indianapolis 4 3 0 .571 136 171 Tennessee 3 5 0 .375 162 257 Jacksonville 1 6 0 .143 103 188 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 5 2 0 .714 174 161 Pittsburgh 4 3 0 .571 167 144 Cincinnati 3 4 0 .429 166 187 Cleveland 2 6 0 .250 154 186 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 62 0 .750189 103 Arizona 4 4 0 .500 127 142 Seattle 4 4 0 .500 140 134 St. Louis 3 5 0 .375 137 186 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 6 2 0 .750 234 161 Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 120 155 Dallas 3 4 0 .429 137 162 Washington 3 5 0 .375 213 227 South WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 7 0 0 1.000201 130 Tampa Bay 3 4 0 .429 184 153 New Orleans2 5 0 .286 190 216 Carolina 1 6 0 .143 128 167 North WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 6 1 0 .857 185 100 Minnesota 5 3 0 .625 184 167 Green Bay 5 3 0 .625 208 170 Detroit 3 4 0 .429 161 174 —————————————————— Week 8 Results Thursday's result Tampa Bay 36, Minnesota 17 Sunday's results Green Bay 24, Jacksonville 15 Indianapolis 19, Tennessee 13, OT Chicago 23, Carolina 22 Miami 30, N.Y. Jets 9 Cleveland 7, San Diego 6 Atlanta 30, Philadelphia 17 Detroit 28, Seattle 24 Pittsburgh 27, Washington 12 New England 45, St. Louis 7 Oakland 26, Kansas City 16 N.Y. Giants 29, Dallas 24 Denver 34, New Orleans 14 Monday's result San Francisco 24, Arizona 3 Week 9 Schedule Today's game Kansas City at San Diego, 5:20 p.m. Sunday's games Arizona at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Chicago at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Houston, 10 a.m. Carolina at Washington, 10 a.m. Detroit at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. Denver at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Baltimore at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Miami at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants, 1:25 p.m. Dallas at Atlanta, 5:20 p.m. Open: N.Y. Jets, New England, San Fran- cisco, St. Louis Monday's game Philadelphia at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m.