Round 1

- Round 1 begins tonight. Kobe and the Lakers invade tonight. What a week we have in front of us. LA, Boston, San Antonio. The Stars with some big ones against divisional opponents. Opening weekend of the NCAA tourney. Tiger going for 6 in a row. Bring it on.

No more excuses. LA is not playing as well and Gasol is hurt. Boston is in the midst of the brutal Texas Triangle plus one (New Orleans). And we all know what San Antonio is doing right now. 3-0 is a must. You were close on the road, now finish the job.

Dallas Mavericks face critical three-game stretch

02:13 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

You don't send messages in December unless they're on holiday cards.

You don't deliver strong, heartfelt feelings in February unless it's to your valentine.

In the NBA, you don't start serving notice until now.

The NCAA bracket is filled out. St. Paddy's Day is done. The playoffs begin a month from Wednesday.

No better time than now to let the sharks, snakes and pit bulls in the Western Conference know you're legit.

The Mavericks can start with maybe their No. 1 snake, the one that always seems to be hiding in the grass – or at the free throw line – waiting for them.

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers visit tonight for the first of three home games against championship-caliber competition. The Mavericks have built a five-game winning streak, but it lacks teeth, having come against weak Eastern Conference teams.

"We haven't been the best road team this year," Jerry Stackhouse said. "But we've protected our home court."

By Sunday night – after Boston and San Antonio have followed the Lakers into American Airlines Center – the Mavericks will have either proved they are relevant in the West or shown they will spend the final weeks of the season fighting to stay in the playoff picture.

The line is that fine.

"This is going to be a very difficult week for us," center Erick Dampier said. "Not only for us, but for them coming in here. We've just got to go out and do the job."

The Mavericks are 1-1 against the Lakers this season, having beating them, 112-105, at AAC in January and losing an overtime thriller, 108-104, on March 2 in Los Angeles.

Jason Kidd had been with the Mavericks for only six games when Dallas lost to the Lakers. The Mavs feel considerably better about their chemistry now.

The Mavericks are in seventh place in the Western Conference, 2 ½ games behind first-place Houston. Three wins this week and Dallas could be as high as third.

To their credit, the Mavericks are only worried about one win – tonight's. But they understand that this stretch presents an opportunity to make a statement.

"A couple of the teams we're playing, we didn't win against the last time," coach Avery Johnson said. "So we'll see how much further along we are with Kidd. He has a better grip of the playbook.

"Maybe this is the right time. Maybe it's not. But we want to get some momentum going."

And what about the West race?

"We'd rather be on top," Johnson said. "It's a nice place to be. Last year, we were blowing everybody away with wins. And the year before, people didn't quite know where we were and what we had. And we're back in that situation again.

"It may come down to the last game of the season, because you're going to see some shifting and changing."

Johnson pointed out that a lot of Western contenders still have to visit Boston and/or Detroit and have road games against other Western powers.

"We've played a ton of back-to-backs," he said. "What a lot of what teams are doing now, we've done that already. So now the schedule sets up well for our team, the age of our team."

MAVERICKS HOST NBA ELITE

Los Angeles Lakers
7:30 p.m. today (Ch. 21)

Record: 45-21 (3rd in West)

NBA titles: 14

Against the Mavs this season: 1-1

MVP talk: Kobe Bryant the front- runner for his first award


Boston Celtics
7 p.m. Thursday (Ch. 21/TNT)

Record: 53-13 (1st in the East)

NBA titles: 16

Against the Mavs this season: 1-0

MVP talk: Kevin Garnett's the leader, but don't forget Pierce/ Allen



San Antonio Spurs
Noon Sunday (Ch. 8)

Record: 44-23 (6th in West)

NBA titles: 4

Against the Mavs this season: 2-1

MVP talk: Tim Duncan (a 2-time MVP) still commands attention


TOO CLOSE TO CALL
The Western Conference is so good that 50 wins won't be good enough to make the playoffs. Based on remaining schedules, staff writer Eddie Sefko projects the rest of the season. Tiebreakers would be broken by the NBA using the league's formula.


Team Projected final record
1. LA Lakers 57-25
2. San Antonio 56-26
3. Utah 56-26
4. New Orleans 55-27
5. Dallas 54-28
6. Golden State 54-28
7. Houston 54-28
8. Phoenix 54-28
9. Denver 51-31




- Meanwhile, the plight of San Antonio is growing.....I watched this game last night. They came out on fire. Driving the lane, getting any offensive shot they wanted, drawing fouls, locking down Boston's go-to guys.

And then Boston made adjustments. I hear otherwise, but I still think Tony Parker isn't right. He doesn't look the same to me. That deadly mid range jumper isn't there. He's not driving the lane as much anymore. So teams are now basically letting Duncan get his, rarely doubling him, and focusing their attention on Ginobili. Ginobili is the head of the snake now for SA. You control him, you probably control San Antonio. He's now become their best playmaker, with his drives, foul-drawing ability, and clutch shooting.

But here's what teams do now. They double up on Ginobili, single up on Duncan and Parker, hoping that they keep them in the 10-20 point range, and not worry about the other role players, who have really taken a step back this year offensively. And that's what Boston did.

Hollinger examines.....



Disappearing Act In Second Half Continues For Spurs

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics will take a lot away from Monday's showdown.

Like their timeouts, for instance.

Boston's Kevin Garnett inexplicably failed to call one with his team up two and all the options for an inbounds pass covered. But then San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry made the same gaffe after the Spurs stole the ball on KG's inbound attempt, resulting in a rushed 3 at the buzzer by Horry that missed the mark. The Celtics hung on for a 93-91 win.

But let's set the timeout debate aside and look at the bigger picture. One suspects the defending champions have a much larger takeaway from Monday's game, considering it's their fourth straight defeat and the sixth in their last seven contests. It dropped them to 44-23 on the season and into a tie with Dallas for sixth place in the West -- unheard-of territory for this squad so late in the season.

Though it's a hard thought to fathom giving their amazing finishing kicks in recent campaigns, the Spurs' finishing kick is exactly their problem right now. Not just in season terms, but in a game context too.

For the first 13 minutes Monday, they did all the things we expect San Antonio teams to do -- play suffocating defense, execute in the halfcourt, and sprinkle in the occasional open-court dash from Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili.

That put San Antonio up by 22, but they lost steam from there -- most notably during a 15-2 haymaker the Celtics landed to start the third quarter. And it's part of a disturbing recent pattern in which the Spurs play a strong first half but fizzle after the break.

San Antonio scored 38 points after halftime Monday, marking the fourth time in seven games that they had a sub-40-point second half. You can throw the 42-point effort against Denver into the mix too, since the Nuggies' league-leading pace inflates scoring so much. In each of those five games, a lame offensive second half from San Antonio either cost them the lead or blew open a previously close game.

"I'm mad that we were up 22 and blew it," said Horry. "I know we're playing one of the best teams in the league in the Celtics but there's no excuse. It's tough to maintain big leads like that against good teams but you have to defend home court. You just have to."

Ginobili was brilliant with 32 points, but like his teammates did most of his damage in the first half. He scored 18, including 4-of-5 on 3s, to give the Spurs a 10-point edge at the break. But he was 1-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter, and had a key turnover late.

"When you play good for 45 minutes and then you miss two shots to almost win it, it doesn't count," said Ginobili. "Down the stretch they made every shot, [and] we couldn't make one.

"We played great for 20 minutes, then we kind of started slowing down and the second half was totally different."

And as the "What's wrong with the Spurs?" questions came up, the general consensus inside San Antonio's locker room was that the problems were mental and not -- as some suspect -- physical deterioration from the team's increasing age.

A few of the diagnoses:

"We're kind of insecure, a little lack of confidence," said Ginobili. "So when things start to go bad we don't have the same response as when things go right."

"This thing lately is in our heads, it's not physical," said Bowen. "Right now we are not completing, not finishing our games the way we would like."

"The simple things got away from us," said Horry. "Taking care of the basketball, simple ball control, and those types of things. And that's just simple basketball."

"Down the stretch I thought execution-wise we made a couple of mistakes that really got us," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Perhaps it's just a blip that will all be forgotten when the Spurs are having another festive float down the Riverwalk in late June. But while Ginobili said the Spurs remain good enough to repeat as champions, other indicators aren't pointing their way.

For instance, San Antonio only has the seventh-best victory margin in the conference, so you can't just blame their record on bad luck -- and much of that plus-4.1 margin was built up during its now long-forgotten 17-3 start. Since then they're 27-20 -- good enough for most, but not for defending champions.

The schedule has been cruel during this stretch, which is one reason the Spurs' struggles have seemed so much worse of late. However, it doesn't get much easier the rest of the way. The Spurs still have road games left against Dallas, Orlando, Utah, and the Lakers, plus home dates against Utah, Phoenix and Houston.

"March is horrible, we were talking today that at least since I'm here I don't remember a month like this," said Ginobili.

But these are the Spurs. Since when did the schedule matter? This is the team that's used a brutal Rodeo road trip as the catalyst to their title march on three different occasions.

Because of that, nobody is ready to write them off quite yet, least of all this scribe. But if they can't figure out why their offense keeps suddenly disappearing after halftime, then it might be the Spurs who quickly vanish when the Western Conference playoffs start a month from now.



- At least one starter has some positive news......



Jason Jennings picks up pace for Texas Rangers

Pitcher showing much improvement, but other staff question linger


01:02 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Texas Rangers are within two weeks of opening the season. Do you know who your Rangers pitchers are?

Neither do they.

But it's starting to come more into focus.

After a 5-2 loss to Seattle on Monday, these were the developments: Any concerns about Jason Jennings having adequate velocity seem to have been quelled; Eric Hurley isn't really a strong contender for the fifth spot in the rotation, but he'll get another valuable start anyway; and the Rangers will take the final time to decide whether they want to carry seven or eight relievers into the regular season.

The day started with manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mark Connor meeting well into the morning workout to decide on scheduling for the next week. Though the day ended with a loss, Robinson Tejeda and Josh Rupe improved their stock in the crowded battle for one or two final bullpen spots. And Jennings, after laying out an aggressive throwing schedule for the club, allayed any fears that he might need a little more time than expected to get his arm strength back.

"Jennings was the bright spot of the day," Connor said. "His command was good, and his velocity jumped up a little bit. I just wanted to see it creep up a little, and it's creeping up there."

In his four innings of work, Jennings allowed two hits and a run and struck out two with a fastball that ranged from 84 to 87 mph and a sharp slider that has gotten a surprising number of swings-and-misses during camp. The velocity had been in the 82 to 85 mph range.

Jennings, a former Mesquite Poteet and Baylor standout, was also efficient. He worked the four innings in fewer than 60 pitches. Connor decided that since Jennings hadn't pitched four full innings before Monday, he would finish off his work in the bullpen rather than get up for a fifth inning. He threw an extra 17 pitches in the bullpen.

And he will throw even more. Jennings said he has asked to do more long-tossing between starts to build up his arm strength further.

"But I don't think I need much more," he said. "In 2006 [when he pitched a career-high 212 innings], I was pretty consistently at 86 to 88 [mph]. I'm really trying to stay away from looking at velocity. I feel like my fastball had life. I think more long-tossing will help speed up the process of building up arm strength."

With Jennings answering any lingering questions, it appears the opening day rotation is set. Nos. 1-2 starters Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla have recovered from early-spring muscle strains and made it through minor league games without issue over the weekend. Millwood will make his only "A" game start of the spring Thursday in Tucson. He will make his final start in a minor league game to avoid facing Seattle, whom he will face on opening day.

Jennings will make his next start in a minor league game, too, because it is scheduled for Saturday, when the Rangers play Seattle again. The club would like to avoid showing Jennings twice to Seattle in the two weeks before he starts the third game of the year against the Mariners. Instead, Hurley will get the start.

Hurley is probably third in the fight for the final spot in the rotation, a spot that won't need to be used until April 12. But if Luis Mendoza struggles today and again Sunday and Sidney Ponson struggles again Friday after a less-than-inspiring outing Sunday against Oakland, Hurley could wind up in the mix.

"Right now, it's just another 'A' game," Hurley said. "It's another chance to go out there and face quality hitters. You are going to face [Seattle's] opening day lineup, and that's good experience. And sticking around here just gives me more time to pick guys brains."

As for the bullpen, injury worries about closer C.J. Wilson, Joaquin Benoit and Eddie Guardado seem to be fading. Wilson and Benoit pitched without issue in minor league games over the weekend. Guardado will return to the mound Thursday. Japanese free agent Kazuo Fukumori has been all the Rangers had hoped for.

After that quartet, it gets a bit murky, but Wes Littleton and Jamey Wright have pitched well in middle- and long-relief roles. The Rangers would like to have one more of each for the start of the regular season. Tejeda or Franklyn German, the most impressive reliever in camp, could be in the mix for the former. Tejeda is expected to pitch again today, and German will go Thursday and Friday. Being effective on back-to-back days is crucial for a middle reliever.

Rupe, Scott Feldman and Kameron Loe could be the finalists for the other long relief spot. Rupe pitched two innings Monday and is expected to be stretched out to three. Feldman has already had a four-inning stint.

But stay tuned. Who knows what another day will bring in the wacky world of Rangers pitching.




- A very historic place has seen its final spring training game. One of the coolest things going in baseball, is now officially done.



Dodgertown finale full of nostalgia, emotion

By Jerry Crasnick
ESPN.com

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers took 7,327 friends and well-wishers for a spin down Memory Lane on Monday -- with the obligatory pauses to take in the scenery at Roy Campanella Boulevard, Jackie Robinson Avenue and Vin Scully Road.

It's been 61 years since the Dodgers moved their spring training operation to this glorified cow pasture on Florida's Atlantic Coast. And now, barring some unforeseen construction delays, they're ready to leave the malls, Panera Breads, Outback Steakhouses and other concessions to development in the rearview mirror.

Next spring at this time, when Los Angeles starter Chad Billingsley snaps off a curveball in preparation for Opening Day, it'll slice through the dry desert heat at an $80 million facility in Glendale, Ariz.

When owner Frank McCourt and other Dodgers officials sell the team's departure from Vero for public consumption, it won't take a major leap of faith to embrace their logic. Arizona is a lot closer to California, obviously, which makes life simpler for West Coast fans in search of a spring baseball fling. And it's an economically sensible move for a franchise looking for every edge in its quest to compete in the National League West.

But that still doesn't make saying goodbye any easier.

The Dodgers lost to the Astros 12-10 on Monday in their farewell to Vero Beach. The box score will show that Houston starter Woody Williams' Grapefruit League ERA is now 13.89, Andre Ethier is still on fire, and Juan Pierre grounded out five times in five at-bats to drop to .196 this spring.

What slipped through the cracks was the sense of wistfulness emanating through the Holman Stadium stands, the standing ovations and warm applause, and the internal tug of war that comes with watching tradition collide with modern economic reality.

For a lot of fans who've made Dodgertown part of their annual spring ritual, something will be irretrievably lost even if another club takes up residence here. The early leader in the clubhouse is the Baltimore Orioles, who have been negotiating with Vero Beach about a possible move from Fort Lauderdale in 2009.

Jodi Howard of suburban Philadelphia has visited Vero Beach each spring since 1986 with her husband, Donald, a New York native whose fandom dates back to the Ebbets Field days in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The Howards have two decades' worth of autographed team balls and personal encounters with the likes of Sandy Koufax, Maury Wills and Manny Mota filed away in the memory bank.

"There's a sense of community and pride here, and a belief in something that you can pass on to your children,'' Jodi Howard said. "Everyone says it's a money move -- that it's better for the Dodgers and their fan base. Well, what about the millions of people throughout the years who've been coming here? That's what breaks my heart.''

Center stage in the finale belonged to the Dodgers' resident goodwill ambassador and icon, Tommy Lasorda, who filled in as manager for the past week when Joe Torre took half the roster to China, then on to the Cactus League.

In the morning, Lasorda held a news conference outside the Dodgers' clubhouse. Among other things, Lasorda dropped references to Frank Sinatra, Loretta Young, Walter Pidgeon, Yorkshire pigs, and a long-standing gag about former L.A. outfielder Dusty Baker being duped into believing there's such a thing as an "arm recharger.''

Two hours later, Lasorda was on the field at Holman Stadium waxing nostalgic to the crowd. He ended his speech with the exhortation, "If you don't pull for the Dodgers, you may not get into heaven.''

Lasorda said that McCourt and the Dodgers plan to distribute glass-encased commemorative tickets from the Holman Stadium finale as souvenirs to team personnel. But for some participants, the mementos will be more personal in nature.

Preston Mattingly, the son of former Yankees great and Dodgers special assignment coach Don Mattingly, will remember circling the bases on a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning. Summoned from Dodgers minor league camp, Mattingly teed off on a Chad Paronto pitch and watched a charitable wind carry it all the way over the fence.

After the game, Mattingly said that he and fellow minor leaguer Russ Mitchell felt "chills'' watching longtime Dodger favorite Carl Erskine play the national anthem on his harmonica. As it turns out, Erskine, 81, started and won the first game at Holman Stadium in 1953.

"It was awesome,'' Mattingly said. "Just to be able to say you played in the last game at Holman Stadium in Dodgertown is incredible.''

The day was kind to octogenarians and prospects alike. The postgame script called for Lasorda to leave the field to the accompaniment of Tina Turner's "Simply the Best'' on the stadium loudspeakers. Then Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt suggested the players wait in the right-field corner to shake Lasorda's hand as he made his way back to the clubhouse.

Reserve outfielder Nook Logan half-jokingly lifted his bat in tribute, and the next thing you knew, Mike Myers, Ethier, Rafael Furcal and the other Dodgers were raising their bats in a ceremonial archway. And an impromptu Hallmark moment was born.

Lasorda, so accustomed to lighting up for the cameras, spoke with a tremor and sense of genuine emotion in his voice.

"That just tore me up,'' he said. "I'll never forget it. I'm a very, very happy 80-year-old man right now.''

All those years, and the reciprocal love between a baseball team and a Florida town were gone, just like that. Like a windblown home run, they're never coming back.




- Stars now chasing San Jose and Anaheim.....



Dallas Stars chasing division leaders again

Chasing Sharks, Ducks in final games has familiar feel for Stars

05:02 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

It's not like the Dallas Stars haven't been here before.

Yes, they have two games remaining against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, but they faced a similar challenge last season.

Dallas went 8-1-2 in the final 11 games, falling just short of Anaheim (110 points) and tying San Jose (107 points). Coach Dave Tippett said he expects the team to embrace the challenge.

"I think it can be a very good thing," Tippett said. "You have to recognize that the two teams we are battling with are both on great runs, and that we need to work hard to get ourselves up to that level of play. I fully expect these games to have the feel of playoff games, and that's something that will challenge all of us."

On Wednesday, the Stars play the Ducks, who have gone 14-3-1 in their last 18 games. On March 27, Dallas starts a road swing through San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. The Sharks are the hottest team in hockey, going 11-0-1 in their last 12 games. The Stars, who led the division for 39 days, are in a 1-5-0 slump.

"Right now, we have to get going in the right direction," center Brad Richards said. "There are some things we need to clean up. We have to keep concentrating how little things can change the way a game goes. We have to grab momentum and keep it."

The assimilation of Richards, who was acquired from Tampa Bay on Feb. 26, has been an issue. Tippett has tried the versatile forward at center on several lines and as a right wing with Mike Modano. But the coach said after a 4-3 loss to Vancouver on Saturday that Richards will stay at center.

"We like him as a center, and we like Mike [Modano] as a center, and that's the way we'll go forward," Tippett said.

Mike Ribeiro is expected to center a line with Brenden Morrow, Richards will center a line with Jere Lehtinen, and Modano will probably center a line with Steve Ott, who has one game remaining on a three-game suspension. The other parts will mix in, Tippett said.

The plan on defense is more tenuous. Sergei Zubov (right foot), who has missed the last 25 games, is scheduled to see a doctor Wednesday and may be cleared to start skating Thursday with the hope he could play before the end of March. Philippe Boucher is rehabilitating his right shoulder and also hopes to return by the end of the month.

"It would be good to get some games in and just get a feel for the team again," Zubov said Monday. "Right now, it would be good just to be skating."

Zubov has the capability of helping the Stars the way Brian Campbell has helped the Sharks, who went on a roll since he was acquired from Buffalo on Feb. 26. Campbell has 11 points in 10 games and is averaging more than 24 minutes. With less time for the other defensemen, Campbell has helped a thin group become stronger.

"By getting Brian Campbell, we added something we all thought we needed – a puck-moving defenseman who plays a lot of minutes, plays well defensively and plays on the power play," Sharks center Joe Thornton said in an NHL conference call recently.

Campbell's minutes have given the Sharks a chance to play with confidence, something Tippett said he believes Zubov can do.

"He's a world-class player," Tippett said. "He helps you in every aspect of the game."

Anaheim, meanwhile, will have play without their world-class player and captain, Chris Pronger, who was suspended for eight games after he stepped on the leg of Vancouver forward Ryan Kesler. Pronger can return for the regular-season finale and the postseason.

"It's not the way you draw it up," Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Orange County Register about having to adjust their defense. "Our jobs don't really change, no matter who's in the lineup. We have to go out there and play as a team, play the systems as well as we can, do it together, and that will give us a chance to win."

The Stars say they will take the same philosophy.

"There are just several factors that we have to improve," Tippett said. "And we expect to improve all of them if we hope to compete with these teams."

PACIFIC HEIGHTS
Dallas, Anaheim and San Jose should wage an interesting battle to the finish the season, with Los Angeles and Phoenix offering divisional resistance. Here is a breakdown of the remaining games (* teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today):

Key issue
Dallas: The return to health of defensemen Sergei Zubov (foot) and Philippe Boucher (shoulder), who are both expected back by the end of March.

Anaheim: How they play without suspended defenseman Chris Pronger, who will return for the regular-season finale.

San Jose: As much as they have been on a winning streak, they have still scored just 16 goals in the last six games (an average of 2.66 per game).



- The greatness of Paul Brogan.