Top Of Sporting World

Shaq to Join LeBron on 2010?

2009-06-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

The reports of renewed talks between the Cavs and Suns regarding Shaquille O'Neal should surprise no one. Shaq, who made the Suns worse and not better after arriving in Phoenix in Feb. 2008, is said to have alienated many of his teammates.

There is no guarantee that acquiring O'Neal will make the Cavs better. He certainly didn't do much for the Suns and Miami Heat over the last two seasons. If anything it demonstrates how desperate Cleveland is to shake things up following their disappointing loss to Orlando. Who knows, maybe Shaq will be motivated to defend Dwight Howard should the two clubs meet up in the playoffs next year. He certainly can't stop talking and twittering about the Magic center.

The Knicks, of course, have also had interest in Shaq, mainly due to his expiring contract. But it's doubtful that the Suns would deal with the Mike D'Antoni Knicks. Also, Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry, who run the Suns and Cavs respectively, were once teammates in San Antonio.

Brandon Jennings, the guard who jumped from high school to pro ball in Italy, will work out with the Knicks today. Memphis point guard Tyreke Evans will also be on hand along with Craig Austrie (UConn guard); Earl Clark (Louisville forward); Austin Daye (Gonzaga forward).

Taken : Knicks Knation

Watch MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Live!

2009-06-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

Watch MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Live!

Three-time world champion MIGUEL COTTO, New York’s most popular fighter, returns to the Big Apple, withhis World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on line, to take on International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion JOSHUA CLOTTEY in a fight to determine the true world welterweight champion. The fight is promoted by Top Rank, the Cotto vs. Clottey World Welterweight Championship will take place Saturday, June 13 at Madison Square Garden.

The fight will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:35 p.m. ET/ 7:35 p.m. PT. This marks the fourth time in the past five years Cotto will headline a show at The Garden on the eve of New York’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, will be headlining his sixth event at the “Mecca of Boxing” since his Garden debut in 2005. No boxer in this millennium has sold more tickets in this hallowed venue. His 2007 world title victory over Zab Judah in front of a capacity crowd of 20,658 produced The Garden’s first boxing sellout since the 2001 Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins world middleweight championship fight. A three-time world champion in two different divisions, Cotto captured the vacant WBO welterweight title in his last fight, February 21 at The Garden, stopping top-rated contender Michael Jennings in the fifth round. He began his world championship run in September 2004, knocking out undefeated contender Kelson Pinto to win the vacant WBO junior welterweight title. He successfully defended that belt six times during his two-year reign before vacating it to challenge Carlos Quintana. Cotto stopped him in the fifth round in December 2006 to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown. Cotto successfully defended that title four times, going the distance only once, before losing it to Antonio Margarito on July 26 via an 11th-round TKO.

Clottey (35-2, 21 KOs), a native of Accra, Ghana, now living in the Bronx, NY, returns to the ring from his biggest career victory, a 10-round technical decision over former three-time world champion Zab Judah on August 2. Leading on all scorecards when the fight was stopped, Clottey had battered and bloodied Judah who had no answer for the onslaught. Known for his aggressive style and good punching power, Clottey enters this fight riding a two-year, five-bout winning streak which includes victories over Judah, former two-division world champion Diego Corrales, undefeated contender Shamone Alvarez and two-time world title challenger Felix Flores. The only blemish since 2001, a 12-round decision loss to WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, a fight Clottey was winning until he broke his right hand in the fourth round.

Watch MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Live!

Tags: WBO, Live WBO, Live Stream WBO, Free Live Stream WBO, WBO Live, WBO Live Stream, WBO Free Live Stream, World Boxing Organization, World Boxing Organization Live, World Boxing Organization Live Stream, MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Live, MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY , MIGUEL COTTO vs JOSHUA CLOTTEY Live Stream, COTTO vs CLOTTEY Live Stream, COTTO vs CLOTTEY Live, Live COTTO vs CLOTTEY, Live Stream COTTO vs CLOTTEY.

UFC 99: The Comeback

2009-06-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Ready for a little UFC betting on a Saturday?

UFC 99: The Comeback is taking place on June 13 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

Wanderlei Silva will be dropping down a weight class to take on Rich Franklin in a battle of two MMA legends.

Franklin, who MMA lines list as a -145 favorite, seems to define the term mixed martial artist, as he possesses the full repertoire of skills needed to compete at the highest level of the sport.

Silva (+115) is a legend in the sport but he has been on a terrible downward slide lately, losing four of his last five fights, including three by devastating knockouts.

Also on the card, Cheick Kongo (+145) will take on Cain Velasquez (-180).

Kongo's ground skills and takedown defense have improved a lot, but with Velasquez he still may find it difficult to stay on his feet.

Watch Live Free Video Streaming: UFC 99 - The Comeback.

Tags: UFC The Comeback, Watch UFC 99 Live, UFC, The Comeback, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Cheick Kongo, Cain Velasquez, UFC Live, Stream UFC 99

Roddick moves closer to fifth title

2009-06-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

LONDON -- Andy Roddick stayed on track for his fifth title at Queen's Club by defeating Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the Aegon Championships.

Top-seeded Andy Murray lost just five points on his serve in beating American Mardy Fish 7-5, 6-3.

The second-seeded Roddick had 24 aces and Karlovic 26 in a match that featured few rallies and only two break points. Those came with Roddick leading 6-5 in the second set, but the Croat volleyed a winner on the first and hit a drop shot on the second.

"You're not going to get many chances, especially if he's making first serves," Roddick said. "Luckily, in the tiebreakers, I got a couple of looks at some second serves."

Juan Carlos Ferrero reached his first career grass-court semifinal when he defeated Steve Darcis 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Ferrero will play Murray, who never faced a break point against Fish. He broke for a 6-5 lead in the first set after Fish netted a forehand volley.

Murray broke again to go up 4-3 in the second after Fish netted a backhand, and he sealed the match with a crosscourt winner.

Ferrero, who received a wild card to Wimbledon, had failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals on grass on three previous occasions.

Franklin, Silva Make Weight for UFC 99

2009-06-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

The 195-pound catch-weight main event between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva is set for UFC 99 on Saturday at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

Both headliners tipped the scales at 194 pounds Friday at the official weigh-ins.

All fighters on the 12-bout card made weight. The biggest discrepancy was between heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez and contender Cheick Kongo. Velasquez came in nine pounds heavier, though Kongo has 19 fights under his belt compared to five for Velasquez.

Rich Franklin (194) vs. Wanderlei Silva (194)
Cain Velasquez (239) vs. Cheick Kongo (230)
Mike Swick (169) vs. Ben Saunders (169)
Dan Hardy (170) vs. Marcus Davis (171)
Spencer Fisher (154) vs. Caol Uno (155)
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (233) vs. Mustapha al Turk (236)

Terry Etim (156) vs. Justin Buchholz (155)
Dale Hartt (156) vs. Dennis Siver (156)
Paul Taylor (169) vs. Peter Sobotta (169)
Paul Kelly (156) vs. Roli Delgado (155)
Stefan Struve (248) vs. Denis Stojnic (241)
John Hathaway (170) vs. Ricky Story (169)

Taken from: Sherdog

Tyson marries for third time

2009-06-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS -- Boxer Mike Tyson has married for a third time, two weeks after his 4-year-old daughter died in a tragic treadmill accident.

The owner of the La Bella Wedding Chapel at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the former heavyweight champion and his bride, Lakiha Spicer, exchanged vows Saturday in a short, private ceremony.

Chapel owner Shawn Absher says the couple wed about 10 p.m. after arriving at the hotel from the Clark County marriage bureau in a chapel-owned limousine.

County marriage records in Las Vegas show the 42-year-old Tyson and 32-year-old Spicer got a marriage license about 30 minutes before their ceremony.

Tyson's daughter Exodus died in May. The girl suffocated after she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under a treadmill's console in her Phoenix home. Tyson's agent, Harlan Werner, told the AP that Spicer is not Exodus' mother.

Tyson and Spicer, a resident of suburban Henderson, asked for a simple ceremony with nothing special, Absher said.

"They just wanted to say the vows and be married," he said. "It was very sincere."

Tyson was previously married to actress Robin Givens in 1988 and Monica Turner in 1997.

His first marriage ended after one year after Givens filed for divorce and said in a nationally televised interview that she was afraid of Tyson. His marriage to Turner lasted five years.

Tyson and Spicer seemed very in love, Absher said.

"They were very heartwarming, and I think they really do love each other," Absher said. "He seemed happy -- and his life's been up and down."

Tyson last boxed competitively in 2005.

GM to pare support of NASCAR teams

2009-06-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- General Motors has told NASCAR teams it is cutting back on its support in all of the sanctioning body's professional series.

Among the teams already notified that they will lose funding are JR Motorsports, owned by Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kevin Harvick Inc., co-owned by Cup star Harvick and his wife, DeLana. JRM races in the second-tier Nationwide Series, while KHI has entries in Nationwide and the third-tier Camping World Truck Series.

Cuts are also expected in the top-tier Sprint Cup series.

Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan said Friday that GM, reorganizing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said cuts would be made soon.

"Our discussions are indeed NASCAR-wide," he said.

Rhadigan would not say if one series would be affected more than others, nor would he say the size of the cuts or how much GM spends on NASCAR. The automaker, through its Chevrolet brand, provides cash and other support to teams, including engines and parts.

Rhadigan, however, said GM has no plans to withdraw Chevrolet from the stock car sport.

"Racing is still in Chevrolet's DNA, and I don't think that's going to change," he said.

Both JRM and KHI issued statements, acknowledging they must adjust their business models to address the funding cuts.

"We are fully capable of adjusting our business model to accommodate this change, and with the backing of Hendrick Motorsports, we will continue to lend our full support to Chevrolet," Kelley Earnhardt, general manager of JR Motorsports and Earnhardt's sister, said in a statement.

"The manufacturer support GM provides at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level is more critical in nature than in the Nationwide Series, and I hope Chevy is able to continue supporting that level, as the promotion of NASCAR works well for its demographics."

The GM cutbacks are the latest in a series of economic blows to the sport.

The global economic crisis led to more than 1,000 team members being laid off at the end of last season, and Chrysler, which just came out of bankruptcy, has cutback its funding of Dodge teams this year. Earlier this week, Richard Petty Motorsports laid off nine employees and reduced salaries throughout the company, a byproduct of Chrysler's Chapter 11 filing.

Ford, also facing financial problems, cut back its support in the truck series heading into this season.

"Obviously, Chevrolet has millions of fans, and they want to see Chevrolets on the track," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "At this time, we don't have any reason to believe that that won't be the case, at least in the short term."

Wigan confirm Man United interest in Valencia

2009-06-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

United, who accepted a world-record £80m bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday, are in the market for a replacement for the Bernabeu-bound World Player of the Year and Valencia is one of the names on their hit-list.

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed that Manchester United have made a series of bids for Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia and he expects another cash offer to arrive shortly.

"They (United) have been in touch with us and we will be starting negotiations very shortly, I would imagine," Whelan told Sky Sports News.

"I think they were waiting to see if Ronaldo actually went to Real, which has happened. Things will develop over the next seven to 14 days.

"United have been in touch with us over Antonio for the last two or three months, expressing an interest and actually putting cash offers on the table."

A figure of around £15m is expected to be enough to secure the services of the 23-year-old winger, but Whelan added that his club are not resigned to losing Valencia just yet.

The Wigan chief said: "We are not desperate to sell Antonio, I'm telling you. If I can keep that lad, I'm going to keep him. He is one brilliant player."

Taken from: ESPN

NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Game 7 Penguins vs Red Wings Watch It Live

2009-06-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Watch Live Free Video Streaming: Penguins vs Red Wings Game 7 of NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

It makes no difference if it's Game 4, 5, 6, or 7. If you can win the Cup, you've got the exact same type of game. The only difference is they have a chance now, too.

The Red wings will try win their back-to-back title as they face the Penguins in another history-in-the-making match at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan. The Red Wings will try to be one of the 13 teams to win the Stanley Cup Title on their home court.

History strongly favors the Red Wings heading into the final game of the season. Home teams are 12-2 in championship Game 7s and have won 80 of the 128 playoff series that have gone the distance (62.5 percent).

The home team won each of the first six games. The Penguins went 1-2 at Joe Louis Arena in last year's finals and have been outscored 11-2 in three losses in this series.

Detroit had a shot for its second straight Cup on Tuesday night in Game 6, but fell 2-1 in Pittsburgh. The Red Wings have one more chance to secure it, and they will try at home where they are 11-1 in the playoffs -- 3-0 in this series.

Watch Live Free Stanley Cup Finals Penguins vs Red Wings Game 7 of NHL Finals at exactly 8:00 P.M. ET.

Tags: Red Wings Vs Penguins, Stanley Cup Finals, Free Live Streaming, Watch Live,NHL 2009 Finals Live Streaming, Stanley Cup Finals, Detriot Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, National Hockey League 2009 Live Streaming, National Hockey League 2009 Live, Live National Hockey League Finals 2009, Hockey, NHL standing

Penguins-Red Wings Preview

2009-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

DETROIT (AP) -- Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby spread out like a perfectly shaped triangle in the Detroit Red Wings dressing room and tried to explain how Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals is really like any other game.

When that seemingly unbelievable message comes from guys who have championship rings that nearly cover a whole hand it begins to sound plausible.

"It's hard to really mentally sell it to yourself that it's just another game, but it is," Maltby said Thursday.

Lidstrom, Maltby, Tomas Holmstrom and Kris Draper are going for their fifth title in 12 seasons Friday night in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Osgood is on the verge of a fourth ring, third as the Red Wings starting goalie.

Detroit had a shot for its second straight Cup on Tuesday night in Game 6, but fell 2-1 in Pittsburgh. The Red Wings have one more chance to secure it, and they will try at home where they are 11-1 in the playoffs -- 3-0 in this series.

"It's no different," said Osgood, 15-7 with a 2.00 goals-against average in the playoffs. "Game 7 is just another game to win the Cup. That was our Game 7 in Pittsburgh.

"It makes no difference if it's Game 4, 5, 6, or 7. If you can win the Cup, you've got the exact same type of game. The only difference is they have a chance now, too."

That depends on whom you ask.

The home team won each of the first six games. The Penguins went 1-2 at Joe Louis Arena in last year's finals and have been outscored 11-2 in three losses in this series.

Given the chance to practice in Detroit on Thursday, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma decided the upside wasn't enough to sacrifice another day at home. The Penguins skated one last time in Pittsburgh before flying to Detroit.

"I didn't think a seventh time or an eighth time ... was going to show us one thing about the boards that we didn't already know," Bylsma said. "I thought staying home would give us a better chance to be more focused and more prepared in our routine."

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has been bottled up by forward Henrik Zetterberg, who hits the ice pretty much every time Crosby does, and hasn't scored a goal in six finals games in Detroit.

Crosby and teammate Evgeni Malkin, who led the NHL with 113 points in the regular season, went pointless in the Game 6 win. That was Pittsburgh's first postseason victory since the dynamic duo joined the team in which neither star got on the score sheet.

The Penguins can't expect to dethrone the Red Wings in Detroit if Crosby and Malkin are blanked again.

"I'd always like to score more," said Crosby, who has a goal and two assists in the series. "I look back, and on some of the chances I've had just didn't really get a whole lot of luck. Now is not the time to think about what could have been. The only way I'm looking at here is it's a great opportunity, and I've got to try to go out there and play my best game in the playoffs.

"No matter what's happened before, whether I had one goal or 10, doesn't really matter."

History strongly favors the Red Wings heading into the final game of the season. Home teams are 12-2 in championship Game 7s and have won 80 of the 128 playoff series that have gone the distance (62.5 percent).

While the Red Wings have a wealth of overall experience and lots of practice in hoisting the Cup, compared to the Penguins -- whose championships came well before this group was in Pittsburgh -- they haven't played a finals Game 7 with Detroit.

Defenseman Brian Rafalski, a Michigan native, went through it twice with New Jersey. He was on the short end in 2001 against Colorado, and came out on top two years later against Anaheim, which was coached by current Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock.

The Red Wings are 12-7 overall in Game 7s, but haven't played one in the finals since 1964 and haven't hosted a decisive game with the Cup on the line since 1955 -- a 3-1 victory over Montreal.

"I am sure there will be some butterflies early on, especially here in the room before you hit the ice," captain Lidstrom said. "Once you start playing, you are so focused on what you have to do and your assignments out there. I think that will go away."

Ruslan Fedotenko is hardly a star for the Penguins, but his voice carries a little farther these days. In 2004, Fedotenko scored both goals for Tampa Bay in Game 7 and helped the Lightning complete a comeback from a 3-2 series deficit against Calgary and win the Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh is trying to repeat the feat.

"I will have my moment, and I will talk to the team before the game," Fedotenko said. "We won at home. We forced Game 7, and it gave us the opportunity to play for the Cup, gave us a chance to win. Right now we'll take that.

"We've been successful in probably the first 10 minutes in each game. I feel like we've come out pretty strong ... but I feel like we need to find a way to put in 60 minutes of that. I'm sure if we do that, we'll have a chance to win."

That opportunity was lost in Game 5 when the series was tied 2-2. The Penguins started well, but failed to score on an early power play. That was the jump that propelled the Red Wings to the 5-0 victory that put them one win away from their 12th Stanley Cup title.

That is the only game in the series decided by more than two goals.

"We wanted to finish them off early, but the two teams have been so even and playing so well at home that there haven't been big differences between the two teams," Lidstrom said. "In a way it might be fitting that the top two teams are playing a Game 7."

Taken from: ESPN

Fleury outdoes Osgood as Pens survive furious finish to push Cup finals to 7

2009-06-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

PITTSBURGH -- The Penguins wouldn't let the Red Wings celebrate with the Stanley Cup, not again. Not in this Game 6 in their arena. Not without going the distance in a finals where home ice means everything and momentum means nothing.

Third-line teammates Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins a two-goal lead, and Marc-Andre Fleury held off the defending champion Red Wings repeatedly during a frantic third period as Pittsburgh beat Detroit 2-1 on Tuesday night to tie the unpredictable series at three games.

Game 7 is Friday night in Joe Louis Arena, where Detroit is 3-0 but, as the oldest of NHL playoff adages goes, anything can happen when a single game determines who raises a silver trophy."That's a big as it gets. You get a chance to play for the Cup and it's Game 7," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.Fleury, yanked during Detroit's 5-0 blowout in Game 5 after giving up four goals in the second period, regrouped to make 25 saves and hold off the Red Wings, who went winless in Pittsburgh as they go for their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997.

"I thought the best thing coach [Dan Bylsma] said to us after that was, 'It's the same as last game. We still need two wins to win the Stanley Cup,' " defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "That calmed the room down. Instead of thinking, 'We're down, we're down, we're down,' you're thinking, 'OK, two more wins.' "

Now, it's down to one -- for both teams.

The Red Wings won the Cup by taking Game 6 in Pittsburgh 3-2 last year but were denied a second successive clincher there, and on the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest days in Penguins' history: the drafting of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in 1984.

No silver trophy, not on this silver anniversary. Mostly because Fleury, so bad in Game 5, couldn't have been much better as the Penguins won for the first time in the playoffs without a point from stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"He was unbelievable for us," said Crosby, who, like nearly every Penguins player, said Fleury has repeatedly bounced back from off nights with exceptional performances.

Maybe it was the good luck kiss Fleury got from his mom as he arrived at Mellon Arena, one that caused him to blush a bit when asked about it afterward.

Crosby taped an NHL commercial last summer in which he watched the Red Wings celebrate wildly, then vows that it won't happen again. In nearly identical circumstances, it didn't as the Penguins forced the first Stanley Cup finals Game 7 in their 42-year history.

"We weren't thinking about last year at all," Crosby said. "But we found a way to survive. And now it's anyone's game. It's going to be a great challenge ... but it's an unbelievable opportunity."

Staal, whose key short-handed goal carried the Penguins to a 4-2 victory in Game 4, skated in on a 2-on-1 break started by Kennedy. Staal's initial shot deflected off goalie Chris Osgood's chest, but Staal gathered the rebound near the right post and pushed it in only 51 seconds into the second.

"It ended up coming right back to me, so I just buried my head and fired it," said Staal, who didn't pass because, "I'm a shooter, not a passer."

Detroit, outshot 15-4 at the start, finally began generating some offensive momentum only to have Kennedy, who has scored in each of Pittsburgh's last two home games, make it 2-0 at 5:35.

"They were a desperate team and I thought it showed," Lidstrom said.

Ruslan Fedotenko and Maxime Talbot pressured to keep the puck in the Detroit zone, allowing Kennedy to gather it behind the net and carry it in front. Osgood stopped his initial shot but Kennedy pushed in the rebound.

"He made a goal out of nothing," Bylsma said.

A two-goal lead with Pittsburgh playing with discipline and determination looked big, but the Red Wings sliced it to 2-1 when an undefended Kris Draper -- one of four players who has been on all four of Detroit's Stanley Cup winners since 1997 -- grabbed Jonathan Ericsson's rebound in the left circle and put it past Fleury 2½ minutes after Kennedy scored.

"It took us until the third period to get going," Darren Helm said.

The Red Wings' best chance to score on their two unsuccessful power plays came when Fleury left the puck in the crease, but Scuderi alertly whacked it away. Scuderi later stopped a Johan Franzen shot.

Fleury also made a game-saving stop on a Dan Cleary breakaway with 1:41 remaining, and the game ended with a flurry in which the trailing team couldn't score -- just as Game 6 did last year when the Penguins nearly scored twice in the final second.

One play -- and one missed opportunity -- illustrated the difference between that Game 6 and this one. Late in the second, Henrik Zetterberg faked going to his backhand and instead put a forehand under defenseman Hal Gill that struck the left post and lay in the crease.

Last year, on a similar shot by Zetterberg, Fleury sat on the puck and accidentally pushed it into the net for the game-winner in Detroit's 3-2 victory. This time, Fleury calmly covered up the puck.

"It's a great feeling that we won this one," Fleury said. "Last year was tough, now we're alive and we're going to Game 7. It's awesome."

Taken from : ESPN

Raptors send Kapono to Sixers in exchange for Evans

2009-06-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has acquired forward Jason Kapono from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward Reggie Evans. The trade will be finalized pending both players passing their physicals.

"We are very excited to add one of the league's most prolific three-point shooters in Jason Kapono," Stefanski said. "We feel that this move addresses our goal of improving our shooting from the perimeter.

"I want to thank Reggie Evans for his contributions to the team for the past two seasons and we wish him only the best."

Kapono (6-8, 215) just completed his sixth NBA season and has appeared in 321 career games with 61 starts, averaging 7.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. The former UCLA standout won the NBA's 3-point contest in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008 and is tied with Steve Kerr for the highest 3-point shooting percentage in NBA history (.454).

Last season, Kapono appeared in all but one game for the Raptors, averaging 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and a career-high 1.3 assists while shooting 43.2% from the floor, 42.8% from 3-point range and 81.0% from the foul line. He ranked 12th in the NBA in 3-point percentage.

Kapono was originally a second round pick (31st overall) by Cleveland in the 2003 NBA Draft and spent one season with the Cavaliers before being selected by Charlotte in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft. Kapono signed with Miami as a restricted free agent in October of 2005 and was a member of the Heat's championship team that season. Following two seasons with Miami, Kapono signed as a free agent with Toronto in July of 2007.

While with Miami in 2006-07, Kapono enjoyed his best season, averaging career highs of 10.9 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 49.4% from the floor and 51.4% from behind-the-arc, the fifth-highest 3-point percentage in a single season in NBA history.

Kapono finished his collegiate career as the third leading scorer in UCLA history behind Don MacLean and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He became the first Bruin to earn first team All Pac-10 honors all four years as well as the first player in school history to lead his team in scoring in four straight seasons.

Evans (6-8, 245) just finished his seventh NBA season and his second with the Sixers. In 79 games with seven starts last season, he averaged 3.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. Evans has ranked in the top-10 in rebounds per 48 minutes played in each of the past six seasons.

Taken from: NBA.com

Magic win Game 3, cut Lakers' lead to 2-1

2009-06-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) Rashard Lewis stood at the free-throw line with less than one second left as several workers hurriedly broomed off confetti that had fallen prematurely onto the Amway Arena floor.

This was the sweep Orlando had waited to see for 14 years.

On their seventh try, the Magic, swept in four straight games by Houston on their previous visit in 1995, got their first win in the NBA finals.

Shooting a finals record 63 percent from the field and clamping down on Kobe Bryant, the Magic closes within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with a 108-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

After two straight cold performances in L.A., the Magic were more accurate than any team in NBA finals history.

"They pretty much made all their shots,'' Lakers forward Trevor Ariza said.

Pretty much.

The Magic shot a blistering 75 percent (24 of 32) in the first half and cooled off in the second half when they were only 16 of 32.

The basket looked big, and Orlando hardly missed it. With a loss, the Magic would have fallen into an 0-3 crevasse - a hole no team has ever crawled from. Now, they have a chance to become the fourth team in finals history to come back from an 0-2 deficit and win it all.

"Why not?'' Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "We believe in each other and as long as we're playing our game, our system and fighting for 48 minutes - why not?''

In the series opener, the Magic couldn't throw it in the Pacific Ocean. They made only 29.9 percent and were blown out by 25 points. In Game 2, they were only slightly better, shooting 42 percent in an overtime loss. But back on their home court, they shot themselves back into this series.

As Shaquille O'Neal, still a presence long after leaving both franchises, posted on his Twitter page following the game: "By george I think we have a series.''

Game 4 is Thursday night, and Game 5 - now necessary - will be at Amway Arena on Sunday.

Bryant, seeking a fourth title and his first since 2002, scored 31 points for the Lakers but the superstar, widely considered the game's best closer, was awful in the final minutes. He scored just 10 points in the second half, went only 4 of 15 from the field after the first quarter and looked tired in the fourth.

He also missed five free throws, points that could have given the Lakers that 3-0 lead.

"It was a bad night,'' he said.

With their season 48 minutes from all but disappearing, the Magic had five players score at least 18 points. Lewis and Dwight Howard had 21 apiece, Rafer Alston, who was just 3 of 17 from the field in the first two games, had 20 and Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus 18 each.

"We lost two games, but there's no need to roll over,'' Howard said. "It's a seven-game series. A team has to beat you four times to end the series and we felt good knowing that we had three games at home.''

Pau Gasol scored 23 points but had just three rebounds and the Lakers were only 16 of 26 from the line.

For a while, it appeared the Magic couldn't or wouldn't miss.

From 20 feet, swish. From 10 feet, nothing but net. Layups, runners, banks, pull-ups, didn't matter. You name it, if it went up, more times than not it went in.

"We lost this game on the defensive end,'' Bryant said. "We had been playing very good defense and the team tonight shoots 62 percent from the field.''

Despite Orlando's unconscious shooting, the Lakers went into the fourth down just 81-75.

After Pietrus was long with a wide-open 3, Gasol was fouled at the other end and made two free throws to make it 99 all with 2:41 remaining.

"Oh, boy,'' muttered one fan near the media section.

But Pietrus calmed fears by dunking in a rare miss to put the Magic up two, and when Lewis hit a jumper - it was originally called a 3 but replays showed his right foot was on the line - Orlando was up 104-101. Bryant then had a chance to pull the Lakers within one, but split two free throws.

The Lakers got the ball back but Bryant, who scored 17 in the first quarter and 21 by halftime, tried to do too much on the next possession. He crossed over to get past Pietrus, but Howard, the league's defensive player of the year known mostly for his blocks underneath, made like a point guard and tipped the ball away. Pietrus was fouled and made both to make it 106-102.

"It's disappointing,'' Bryant said. "I'm used to coming through in those situations. The team trusts me to come through in those situations and it just didn't happen tonight. Just got to bounce back.''

The Lakers then became desperate, missing four straight 3s in the closing seconds.

Bryant finally dropped a putback to make it 106-104 with 0.5 seconds left, but Lewis was fouled and hit his free throws to close it out.

Game, set, Magic

Taken from: NBA.com