Ramirez hits No. 500, leads Red Sox over Orioles

Dreadlocks are in fashion in the exclusive 500-home run club, now that Manny Ramirez has added his name to the list of baseball's most prolific sluggers.

Ramirez became the 24th player to reach the milestone, connecting in the seventh inning off Chad Bradford to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 Saturday night.

Boston's left fielder hit the first pitch into the bleacher seats in right-center. He stood and watched the flight of the ball, then took off around the bases in a slow trot, a broad smile on his face.

"I'm happy, you know, about everything I accomplished in life," Ramirez said afterward. "Not everybody has the chance to go and get to 500. I'm just proud to do it."

It took him long enough. After hitting No. 496 on April 19, he had only three homers in 34 games before Saturday.

"Every time you get to the hotel, (people say), 'Hey, when you gonna hit it?' I'm just happy everything's done for now," Ramirez said. "I can go be myself and have fun."

Ramirez certainly had a delightful time rounding the bases. He slapped a high-five with first base coach Luis Alicea, tapped hands with third base coach DeMarlo Hale, then hugged on-deck hitter Mike Lowell as he crossed the plate. Many of his teammates greeted him as he reached the dugout, where Ramirez received more hugs and bounced up and down in an embrace with David Ortiz and Julio Lugo.

"They're so proud to have me, a guy so loose, to play the game," Ramirez said of his teammates. "I guess they really appreciate it."

Boston manager Terry Francona said, "His teammates have been waiting for it and it was special to watch. ... Seeing the home run was fun, but watching his teammates show their affection was great."

Even his former teammates were proud. Kevin Millar, who played for Boston from 2003-05, said, "I'm happy for him. He's got a uniqueness about him that makes him easy to like. He looks like a Brazilian Rainforest guy. You take away the hair and the baggy uniform, he's just a guy that can hit."

The solo shot gave Boston a 5-3 lead. It traveled an estimated 410 feet.

In the bottom of the seventh, as he ran his position in the outfield, Ramirez waved to thousands of Boston fans among the 48,281 at Camden Yards. Although it was a road game for the Red Sox, many seats were filled with Boston backers, and virtually everyone in the ballpark took delight in seeing history made.

"That's why they call it the Red Sox Nation. They follow us everywhere. Everywhere we go, we get a big support," Ramirez said. "I'm just happy it's over with and I'm proud to do it here."

The 500-home run club has only two dozen members, but Ramirez also joined an even smaller fraternity. He is only the seventh player in baseball history with 500 homers, 1,500 RBIs, 1,000 walks, 475 doubles and a .300 batting average. The others are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas and Ted Williams.

"It's nice to be part of history," Ramirez said.

Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia also homered for the Red Sox, and Jacoby Ellsbury stole three bases in a second straight game. Ellsbury also tripled in the seventh off Lance Cormier (0-2) and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Ortiz before Bradford entered to face Ramirez.

Bradford had allowed only two home runs since May 14, 2006.

"He doesn't give up that many," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "You think you have the right situation, but..."

Bradford left the Baltimore clubhouse without talking to reporters.

Throughout the first two games of the series, Ramirez was swinging at the first pitch. He did it again against Bradford, with positive results.

"You could see he was aggressive up there," Trembley said. "The worst thing we did was throw him a strike. It probably would have been better if threw the ball outside of the strike zone every time tonight because he seemed like he was in a hurry to get it over with."

Mission accomplished, against a pitcher who doesn't give up many home runs.

"His power is so strong to center and right field. You don't see that against a guy like Chad Bradford," Millar said. "That's why it's all the more amazing."

In the ninth inning, Ortiz hurt his left hand while swinging at a pitch and left the game. X-rays were negative; the injury was diagnosed as a strained wrist.

One batter after Ortiz exited, Ramirez popped out to finish 1-for-5. But that one hit was a whopper.

"Great, man. Finally, it's over with. It's a good thing, man," Ortiz said. "I told him, 'You can finally go eat. No one's going to ask you (about) 500 anymore.'"

The ball was retrieved by a Boston fan who claimed to have caught it on the fly. He handed the ball to Ramirez in the Red Sox clubhouse after the game.

"I don't want to keep the ball. I want to see how much money I can get for the hospital I'm donating $1,000 for (every) home run," Ramirez said. "That's what I want to do."

Pitching for the second time since his no-hitter on May 19 against Kansas City, Boston's Jon Lester allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. His run of four starts without yielding a home run ended when Brian Roberts connected in the fifth to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead.

Lester was replaced by David Aardsma (2-1), who pitched two scoreless innings. Jonathan Papelbon worked the ninth for his 16th save.

Notes:@ Ellsbury took over the AL lead with 26 steals (in 28 tries). ... Red Sox RF J.D. Drew entered in the ninth inning after missing Friday's game with vertigo. ... All four of Roberts' homers have been solo shots. ... Boston activated RHP Clay Buchholz from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he had been on a rehabilitation assignment.

Serena, Venus Williams lose in 3rd round at French

Oracene Price, mother and coach to Venus and Serena Williams, stood near the steps to the locker room at the end of a long, rough day at the French Open.

First she watched eight-time major champion Serena lose a match that began a little after 11 a.m. Then she watched six-time major champion Venus lose a match that ended in near-darkness, shortly before 10 p.m. Both sisters were stunned in the third round Friday by journeywomen who never have been quarterfinalists, much less champions, at any Grand Slam tournament.

As Price consulted another daughter about the best way to leave the grounds, she paused for a moment, distracted by someone bounding up the stairs, two at a time. It was Flavia Pennetta, the Italian seeded 26th who beat Venus 7-5, 6-3, and was headed toward her parents for hugs and kisses and a congratulatory call from Grandma.

"Did you see the match? Did you see the match?" Pennetta shouted loudly enough to be heard back home in Brindisi, at the heel of Italy's boot, without the help of a cell phone. "Don't cry!"

For days leading to these matching upsets, the Williams clan spoke — presciently, it turns out — about how tough it can be to play against less-heralded opponents who want to make their mark by beating one sister or the other.

"They just have to learn how to do the rope-a-dope as they get older," Price said after Serena's 6-4, 6-4 loss to No. 27 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

It was clear from listening to Pennetta and Srebotnik that they were thinking exactly what the women they beat figured.

"Today, I woke up and, you know, it was just another opportunity. This is what you work so hard for — to be in third round where you play Serena or someone like that and you have really nothing to lose," said Srebotnik, who managed to reach the fourth round at a major only once before in 35 tries.

"If you win a match like that, you gain a lot, so I just took my chances."

Not only was there nary a Williams left in the French Open, there were no U.S. women left at all, because Bethanie Mattek was beaten 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 by No. 1 Maria Sharapova, whose 10 double-faults raised her total to 27 through two matches. It's the first time in at least 40 years the United States didn't put at least one woman into the fourth round at Roland Garros.

Heading into Saturday there was a solitary American in Paris: Robby Ginepri, the last of 10 U.S. men in the original draw after Wayne Odesnik lost to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Ginepri plays Florent Serra of France in the third round.

Friday's surprises also mean there will be a first-time French Open women's champion. Serena, who beat Venus in the 2002 final, was the only past winner entered.

If Srebotnik befuddled Serena by repeatedly changing angles and speeds, Pennetta took a more unorthodox path to beating a Williams, hanging with Venus through long baseline exchanges. In the second set, as the light faded, Pennetta won seven of the 10 points that lasted 10 or more strokes.

"I played a complete match in every way," said Pennetta, who lost in the first or second round in 14 of her previous 20 Grand Slam appearances.

There are no lights at Roland Garros, and a player has the right to request that a match be suspended because of darkness. A match between No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 28 Dominika Cibulkova played simultaneously on another show court was halted in the second set — before Pennetta-Williams finished — and will resume Saturday.

Asked why she did not request the chair umpire to stop play, Venus said: "Because I didn't."

Serena, meanwhile, went only 1-for-7 on break points, including 0-for-5 in the second set. She also lost 14 of the 21 points when she went to the net, thanks to some poor approach shots, shoddy volleying and four passing winners off Srebotnik's racket.

"Once the ball was in the rally I kind of saw it big, and I could pick a spot," Srebotnik said.

She repeatedly showed resolve, including while serving out the first set at 5-4.

Serena saved three set points there, but then set up a fourth when she ended a 14-stroke exchange by shanking a backhand volley several feet wide of the doubles alley. Serena put a palm up, then put her racket head-down on the court and leaned her forehand on the end of the handle, a vision of exasperation.

On the next point, Serena weakly put a backhand into the net, ending the set.

"I mean, to be honest, she did help me," Srebotnik said.

The second set saw more of the same: Srebotnik mixing speeds, and Serena flubbing shots she usually puts away. Ahead 2-1, Serena earned two break points, wasting each with a forehand into the net. Ahead 3-2, she earned two more, but missed a backhand return then drove a forehand into the net.

Serena had her last break chance at 4-3, and she gave it away by badly missing a drop shot. She tugged the brim of her beige ballcap low over her eyes, perhaps trying to hide the disappointment.

Srebotnik won the next point with a volley winner, then watched Serena be her own worst enemy again. Srebotnik put up a defensive lob, completely out of position; a tap-in probably would have sufficed for Serena. Instead, she tried to hammer the ball and put it in the net.

"I just missed some easy shots. I think that was the difference," Serena said. "And she made hers."

Suddenly serving for the biggest victory of her singles career, Srebotnik let two match points slip away. On No. 3, though, Serena pulled a forehand well wide.

"It's like she wasn't there mentally. ... I'm really trying to figure this one out," Price said.

Serena stared blankly and spoke slowly during her postmatch news conference. She was asked if "puzzled" would describe how she felt.

"No, I'm not puzzled at all," she said. "I just don't want to be here."

Now, Srebotnik will play No. 10 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, and Pennetta will face qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

"I don't want to be satisfied," Pennetta said. "It's Roland Garros. To even think about reaching the quarterfinals or semifinals at a tournament like this is what anyone who plays tennis dreams about."

(This version CORRECTS SUBS grafs 14-16 pvs to correct Pennetta played 20 previous majors and for minor edit)

Johnson ties Clemens for second on career strikeout list

Randy Johnson tied Roger Clemens on Thursday night for second place on baseball's career strikeout list.

The 44-year-old left-hander fanned nine batters in seven innings against the San Francisco Giants to give him 4,672 in 20 major league seasons.

The tying strikeout came when Johnson fanned Dan Ortmeier for the third time of the night to start the seventh inning. He drew a standing ovation as he left the field at the inning's conclusion.

Johnson returned to the Arizona rotation this year after his second back surgery in as many seasons.

He retired the first nine he faced on Thursday, five by strikeout.

Nolan Ryan holds the major league record for most career strikeouts with 5,714.

Dream turning dud as Wings dominate Penguins

This is supposed to be the NHL's dream matchup for the Stanley Cup finals. The talented Pittsburgh Penguins against the tradition-rich Detroit Red Wings with more than enough star power to persuade even the most casual fan to switch off the NBA playoffs and turn on hockey.

So far, it's been a one-sided dud, with Detroit delivering two dominating and defensive-driven victories and the Penguins delivering ... well, mostly empty promises and some late-game punches that illustrate the growing frustration of a good young team that is playing badly.

The series that hasn't yet started for the Penguins shifts to Pittsburgh for Game 3 on Wednesday night, a can't lose-win game if there ever was one for the perplexed Penguins. They are 8-0 at Mellon Arena in the playoffs and 16-0 since late February, but one loss there dooms almost any chance of them hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992.

The Penguins — winless, scoreless and mostly clueless to date against the more experienced, more polished Red Wings — already face the unenviable task of winning four of the next five to win the series. Trying to win four of four would be almost impossible, and they know it.

"It's a huge game," the Penguins' Gary Roberts said. "You go down 3-0 in a series against that team, it's going to be pretty tough."

Tough? Hasn't it been tough enough already for Pittsburgh, given the Red Wings' 7-0 lead in goals and the fact the Penguins haven't led for a single second since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Flyers?

So far, the Red Wings have frustrated the Penguins not with a neutral zone trap — no, these aren't the Devils — but rather a neutral zone clamp. The Penguins often generate their offensive momentum by using their considerable speed to race through the neutral zone, but the Red Wings' wealth of defensive talent isn't allowing that to happen.

Whenever Sidney Crosby gets the puck, it seems as if Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom swarm him within one stride. Evgeni Malkin, the NHL's second-leading scorer during the season, looks tired and confused with only one shot in two games. Some other Penguins forwards already look worn down by Niklas Kronwall's open-ice hits. The few shots that get through are being turned aside by Chris Osgood.

As a result, the NHL's so-called team of the future is being upstaged and unraveled by an older, more experienced and more Cup-worthy team.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock isn't promising two victories in Pittsburgh and the first Stanley Cup-raising in Mellon Arena history on Saturday night, but does offer this: The Penguins haven't seen the best of the Red Wings yet.

"We have a plan, and until that plan needs to be changed, we're going to stick with the plan we have," Babcock said. "And our guys are committed and determined, and we'd like to have success. That doesn't guarantee anything. But we'd sure like to have success."

An interesting twist: The last time a team was shut out in the first two games of the finals, Anaheim in 2003, the Ducks went home and won twice in overtime against New Jersey. The Ducks' coach was none other than Mike Babcock.

Think the Penguins aren't glad to be home? On Saturday, more than 13,000 fans paid $5 each to sit in Mellon Arena — more than the team averaged during the 2003-04 season — and watch Game 1 from Detroit on the arena's video boards.

No wonder Babcock knows this series may not be close to being done, not with Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury riding an 18-game, six-month home ice winning streak that dates to Nov. 21.

"Their guys are going to say, `OK, we're a good team at home. We're 8-0 at home. Nothing's happening in this series as long as we hold serve, that kind of thing,'" Babcock said. "That's exactly what happened (in 2003), suddenly, the series was the best of three."

The Penguins' problem is they haven't gotten the best of anything to date, although they showed signs of life in the final two periods Monday by generating as many chances as the Red Wings got. The problem was Detroit already led 2-0 by then and went on to win 3-0.

Asked if he finds that embarrassing, Crosby said, "It's 2-0 and we haven't scored. So we have to find ways to score goals. To be honest, I'm not too worried about people's perceptions. I'm worried about playing hockey and winning hockey games."

By the end of Game 2, it appeared that the Penguins were more interested in sending a message to the Red Wings that they wouldn't be shoved around, starting several skirmishes. One developed after Roberts took a borderline cheap-shot hit against Johan Franzen, who came back Monday after being out for six games with recurring headaches.

"I guess you're trying to send a message or whatever. To me, the game's going to be won in between the whistles," Babcock said. "And you're not going to back us off one inch."

Especially not if the Red Wings win Wednesday, which would put them only one victory away from a fourth Stanley Cup in 11 seasons. Detroit ended each of its previous three playoff series this season on the road.

"This is an important game, let me put it this way," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said.

Dream turning dud as Wings dominate Penguins

This is supposed to be the NHL's dream matchup for the Stanley Cup finals. The talented Pittsburgh Penguins against the tradition-rich Detroit Red Wings with more than enough star power to persuade even the most casual fan to switch off the NBA playoffs and turn on hockey.

So far, it's been a one-sided dud, with Detroit delivering two dominating and defensive-driven victories and the Penguins delivering ... well, mostly empty promises and some late-game punches that illustrate the growing frustration of a good young team that is playing badly.

The series that hasn't yet started for the Penguins shifts to Pittsburgh for Game 3 on Wednesday night, a can't lose-win game if there ever was one for the perplexed Penguins. They are 8-0 at Mellon Arena in the playoffs and 16-0 since late February, but one loss there dooms almost any chance of them hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992.

The Penguins — winless, scoreless and mostly clueless to date against the more experienced, more polished Red Wings — already face the unenviable task of winning four of the next five to win the series. Trying to win four of four would be almost impossible, and they know it.

"It's a huge game," the Penguins' Gary Roberts said. "You go down 3-0 in a series against that team, it's going to be pretty tough."

Tough? Hasn't it been tough enough already for Pittsburgh, given the Red Wings' 7-0 lead in goals and the fact the Penguins haven't led for a single second since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Flyers?

So far, the Red Wings have frustrated the Penguins not with a neutral zone trap — no, these aren't the Devils — but rather a neutral zone clamp. The Penguins often generate their offensive momentum by using their considerable speed to race through the neutral zone, but the Red Wings' wealth of defensive talent isn't allowing that to happen.

Whenever Sidney Crosby gets the puck, it seems as if Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom swarm him within one stride. Evgeni Malkin, the NHL's second-leading scorer during the season, looks tired and confused with only one shot in two games. Some other Penguins forwards already look worn down by Niklas Kronwall's open-ice hits. The few shots that get through are being turned aside by Chris Osgood.

As a result, the NHL's so-called team of the future is being upstaged and unraveled by an older, more experienced and more Cup-worthy team.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock isn't promising two victories in Pittsburgh and the first Stanley Cup-raising in Mellon Arena history on Saturday night, but does offer this: The Penguins haven't seen the best of the Red Wings yet.

"We have a plan, and until that plan needs to be changed, we're going to stick with the plan we have," Babcock said. "And our guys are committed and determined, and we'd like to have success. That doesn't guarantee anything. But we'd sure like to have success."

An interesting twist: The last time a team was shut out in the first two games of the finals, Anaheim in 2003, the Ducks went home and won twice in overtime against New Jersey. The Ducks' coach was none other than Mike Babcock.

Think the Penguins aren't glad to be home? On Saturday, more than 13,000 fans paid $5 each to sit in Mellon Arena — more than the team averaged during the 2003-04 season — and watch Game 1 from Detroit on the arena's video boards.

No wonder Babcock knows this series may not be close to being done, not with Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury riding an 18-game, six-month home ice winning streak that dates to Nov. 21.

"Their guys are going to say, `OK, we're a good team at home. We're 8-0 at home. Nothing's happening in this series as long as we hold serve, that kind of thing,'" Babcock said. "That's exactly what happened (in 2003), suddenly, the series was the best of three."

The Penguins' problem is they haven't gotten the best of anything to date, although they showed signs of life in the final two periods Monday by generating as many chances as the Red Wings got. The problem was Detroit already led 2-0 by then and went on to win 3-0.

Asked if he finds that embarrassing, Crosby said, "It's 2-0 and we haven't scored. So we have to find ways to score goals. To be honest, I'm not too worried about people's perceptions. I'm worried about playing hockey and winning hockey games."

By the end of Game 2, it appeared that the Penguins were more interested in sending a message to the Red Wings that they wouldn't be shoved around, starting several skirmishes. One developed after Roberts took a borderline cheap-shot hit against Johan Franzen, who came back Monday after being out for six games with recurring headaches.

"I guess you're trying to send a message or whatever. To me, the game's going to be won in between the whistles," Babcock said. "And you're not going to back us off one inch."

Especially not if the Red Wings win Wednesday, which would put them only one victory away from a fourth Stanley Cup in 11 seasons. Detroit ended each of its previous three playoff series this season on the road.

"This is an important game, let me put it this way," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said.

Rain cuts short French Open play; Mauresmo, Kuztnesova win

A photo of Maria Sharapova graced the cover of the French Open's official daily program Tuesday, which might be considered false advertising.

That's because the No. 1-ranked woman didn't play a single point, forced by the wet weather to wait instead until at least Day 4 of the tournament to begin her quest to complete a career Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal played all of two games of his opening match before collecting his things and trundling off center court, the start of his bid for a fourth consecutive title at the clay-court major halted by one of a series of showers.

Only 13 of 72 scheduled matches were completed, and past major champions Amelie Mauresmo and Svetlana Kuznetsova were quite pleased to duck into the second round between drizzles.

Yes, Wimbledon has come to Roland Garros, with rain affecting action on all three days so far and allowing for less than 3 hours of play Tuesday. While the All England Club is constructing a dome over Centre Court ahead of the 2009 championship, the French tennis federation has said it might build a retractable roof by 2012.

"We definitely would like to have that," said the 22nd-seeded Mauresmo, a Frenchwoman who overcame nine double-faults and 35 total unforced errors to beat Olga Savchuk 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

While it's too early in the tournament for too much concern about fitting everything in, players such as Sharapova or Nadal — whose match originally was on Monday's slate before being postponed the first time, and eventually will resume at 1-1 in the first set — already face the prospect of playing on consecutive days if they proceed through the draw.

Then again, Nadal played for seven days in a row last year at Wimbledon, where he reached the final before losing to No. 1 Roger Federer. So don't expect too much sympathy for the second-seeded Spaniard.

"For Nadal, doesn't matter," said No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, who eliminated 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. "He can play today, tomorrow, after tomorrow. ... It's no problem for him."

Not surprisingly, the only five men's matches that finished were straight-set affairs.

In addition to Davydenko — still at the center of the ATP's investigation into irregular betting patterns on a match he played in August 2007 — and No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka, winners included Mario Ancic and Robin Soderling.

"It's never easy, a whole day of rain," said Wawrinka, who defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. "Most important is to remain calm, not to stress yourself uselessly, and to be patient."

Ancic — the last man to beat Federer at Wimbledon, all the way back in 2002 — eliminated No. 31 Andreas Seppi, while Soderling defeated No. 13 Juan Monaco.

Five matches that were suspended in progress Monday and resumed Tuesday still weren't finished; they were supposed to continue Wednesday. That includes John Isner of the United States against Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina in an encounter that's tied at 1 in the fifth set. Five other matches that began Monday didn't even pick up again Tuesday.

Kuznetsova, however, had more than enough time to dispatch 71st-ranked Aiko Nakamura 6-2, 6-3.

"It was just weird," said the No. 4-seeded Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion and twice a Grand Slam runner-up. "I was starting to imagine it was raining a little bit, and I was, like, 'Oh, I hope we can play.' ... And thinking about this, I realized I lost first game."

She was beaten in the finals of the 2006 French Open and 2007 U.S. Open by Justine Henin, who won seven Grand Slam titles before abruptly retiring this month at age 25. Her departure makes for a wide-open women's field in Paris.

"I think a really unpredictable tournament can happen," said Kuznetsova, just 2-16 against the Belgian over their careers.

Henin said on the eve of the tournament that she'd like to see Kuznetsova win and even gave her friend a pep talk to that effect.

"I had a short chat with her," Kuznetsova recounted. "She said, 'Come on, maybe it can be your year.' Yeah, she cheered me up, so it's good. So I thank her for that."

Also moving on to the second round with victories Tuesday: No. 13 Dinara Safina, No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 31 Ai Sugiyama.

Safina, the younger sister of two-time major champion Marat Safin, was the last woman to play — and to beat — Henin, doing that at the German Open.

"I hope that she just stays happy with this decision and she just goes forward in her life, what she's planning to do," Safina said. "Because ... I have one brother who also says sometimes that he wants to retire because he says that he has enough of it. But he still plays. But she's, I think, stronger. She said, 'OK, I retired.'"

Safin might have told his sibling he's ready to walk away from tennis, but there he was at Roland Garros, playing a first-round match against Jean-Rene Lisnard. Safin neither won nor lost Tuesday, though: The match was suspended by rain in the third set.

Ray or Rip: UConn alums take rivalry to conference finals

Richard Hamilton's postseason is going like his past five in a lot of ways, scoring 20 points on most nights and helping the Detroit Pistons reach the Eastern Conference finals.

In one major way, it's unlike any other.

Deuce has done it.

Hamilton became a father last Halloween and Richard Hamilton II, or Deuce as he's known, has treated the All-Star shooting guard to a new way of life.

"It's the best. It puts everything in perspective," Hamilton said Sunday. "Stuff that you used to think was important, isn't important when you have a little man. It slows you down a whole lot. You grow up real fast. You put on your seat belt every time you get in the car. You're always home. You don't hang out as much.

"You just do everything possible to try to raise your child right."

Rip has been right on the court for the Pistons since they acquired him from the Washington Wizards for Jerry Stackhouse six years ago.

Hamilton, who has 2,348 career points in the playoffs, broke Isiah Thomas' franchise record for postseason scoring this year. He scored a game-high 26 points in Boston's 94-80 win in Game 3 and matched a team record by making all 16 of his free throws.

He'll break another franchise mark in Game 4 on Monday night when he and the Pistons try to even the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics.

Hamilton is set to play in his 114th playoff game, surpassing Bill Laimbeer's team record.

"Since we've been here, Rip has been our No. 1 option," said All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who signed as a free agent two months before Detroit traded for Hamilton in 2002. "He delivers every night."

Some stats back that up.

Hamilton has scored 20-plus points in 70 of his 113 playoff games since 2003, trailing only one player's ability to reach that mark during the same span. San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan had 72 20-point postseason games since 2003 entering Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

Duncan and Hamilton top the list of 20-point scorers over the past five-plus postseasons ahead of players such as Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki (56) and Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant (52).

Since 1992, only Shaquille O'Neal (96), Duncan (80) and Bryant (75) had more 20-point games than Hamilton in their first 113 postseason games.

Despite those facts and championship rings from the NBA in 2004 and NCAA in 1999, some will still say Hamilton is the second-best player from Connecticut in the series.

Ray Allen is generally regarded as the No. 1 UConn player.

The eight-time All-Star scored 23-plus points a game over eight seasons with Milwaukee and Seattle before his scoring averaged dipped to 17 points this season as the third wheel of Boston's Big Three.

In 1996, he became the first Husky to be a back-to-back All-American as he led the school to at least the NCAA regional semifinals in each of his three seasons. Allen left school early as the third-leading scorer in program history and the Bucks drafted him No. 5 overall.

Hamilton is a three-time All-Star, who has averaged 18 points over his career in the regular season and 21 in the playoffs. When UConn won a championship in 1999, Hamilton was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four as a junior, leading to the Wizards drafting him No. 7 overall.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders and Celtics coach Doc Rivers both said the Ray-or-Rip debate motivates both players.

"There's a hidden agenda between those two: `Who's the best from Connecticut,'" Saunders said.

Rivers agreed.

"It's human," he said. "I wouldn't doubt that. I don't think any of that gets in the way of the game. But Rip is a great player and Ray is a great player because of pride. So yeah, I wouldn't doubt that that was in play at all."

Both players dismissed the rivalry.

"I just want to win," Hamilton said.

Allen said the topic is irrelevant to him, but added that he understands it.

"The beautiful thing is I have fans who think I'm the best from UConn, Rip has fans and Donyell Marshall has fans," Allen said. "People will choose who's the best, but it doesn't really matter to me."

What does matter to Allen is finding quiet time each day.

He drives in silence during part of his short commute to Boston's practice facility, helping clear his mind, and he doesn't bob his head with headphones covering his ears like many NBA players.

"If you're always saying someone else's lyrics, you're taking time away from saying your own thoughts in your head," Allen said.

He arrives at arenas at least an hour before most players in the league so that he can be on the court working on his smooth stroke 3 hours before the tip.

"I've been doing that for about 10 years," Allen said. "You get to think when you shoot. When there's nobody on the floor and not many people in the building, you can really zone in on your thoughts.

"I've always taken cabs, which has taken me through every back alley and street in an NBA city. I've also been to every entrance, trying to find out how to get in arenas because they're locked when I get there sometimes."

Allen bristled at the notion that he can't lock down Hamilton defensively because the Pistons' star is in constant motion, running around screens to set up a mid-range game that draws comparisons to Reggie Lewis as the best in league history.

"It's not tough guarding him because I don't get tired, either," Allen said. "This is why I condition my body to sustain my energy against guys like Rip."

Ginobili leads Spurs to Game 3 win over Lakers

The San Antonio Spurs opened another big lead over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. This time, they kept it.

Manu Ginobili broke out of his scoring slump with 30 points off the bench and the Spurs beat the Lakers 103-84 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Tim Duncan had 22 points, 21 rebounds and five assists, and Tony Parker added 20 points and five assists for the Spurs, who remained unbeaten at home this postseason and avoided falling into an 0-3 hole, which no NBA team has ever overcome.

The Lakers lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

The Spurs squandered a 20-point lead to lose Game 1 in Los Angeles and the Lakers routed them in Game 2.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points and Paul Gasol scored 15. Lamar Odom struggled all night, finishing 2-of-11 from the field for seven points. But he had six of the Lakers' 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

"They played solid defense, but we missed a lot of easy ones," Bryant said.

The Lakers also struggled at the free throw line, going just 8-of-17. Bryant went to the line only once.

On Sunday, the Spurs got a lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back, despite a late surge from Bryant.

"I felt good, and then it was easier for me," Ginobili said.

Up 69-57 entering the fourth, the Spurs opened with a 12-4 run, and Parker's layup gave them a 20-point lead with a little over 8 minutes to play.

Then Bryant did what Bryant does: almost single-handedly pulled his team out of the hole. He hit four 3-pointers over the course of less than 2 1/2 minutes and his last one brought the Lakers within 88-76 with 5 minutes to play.

But the Lakers would get no closer, not when the Spurs' title defense would be all but ruined with a Game 3 loss.

Duncan answered with a three-point play to put the Spurs back up by 15 and not long after Brent Barry's steal that resulted in a three-point play for Ginobili made it 97-78 with 3:26 to go.

"He bounced back the way I thought he would," Bryant said of Ginobili. "He had a spectacular first half."

Reserve Jordan Farmar scored 10 points for the Lakers.

In the first half, Parker was penetrating the paint, but Ginobili was the big key for the Spurs. He had 22 points at the break — more than the 17 he scored in Games 1 and 2 combined. And whether or not his injured left ankle was bothering him, he didn't need it to explode to the basket because he hit 3 after 3.

After Bryant's driving dunk past Duncan with 4:57 left in the first quarter put the Lakers up 15-8, Ginobili hit back-to-back 3s from the same spot on the wing to get the Spurs within a point.

He didn't stop in the second quarter.

His 3 4 1/2 minutes in put the Spurs up 33-30, then he got to the rim about 30 seconds later and was fouled. His free throw made it 36-32.

"He is such a competitor," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He puts so much on his shoulders, he fights through a lot of things."

The Lakers struggled in the second quarter — turning the ball over early in the period on a shot-clock violation, missing free throws and shooting 7-of-17 from the field — and the Spurs pulled away.

Ginobili hit his fifth 3 of the night as the shot clock expired with less than a minute left in the first half. The Spurs outscored the Lakers 28-15 in the second quarter for a 49-39 lead at the break.

Odom was 1-of-7 from the field in the first half and guard Derek Fisher was scoreless.

Odom didn't fare any better in the third, and Gasol and Bryant combined for just 10 points as Spurs' defender Bruce Bowen continued to hound this year's league MVP.

Ginobili cooled in the third quarter — when the Spurs went up by as many as 13 — just as Duncan got hot. Duncan's two jump shots with less than two minutes to play, plus Ginobili's drive that showed he can still get to the rim, gave the Spurs a 12-point lead heading into the fourth.

Notes:@ The Spurs last lost at home on April 9 to Phoenix . San Antonio eliminated the Suns in the first round in five games. ... Fisher got a technical foul with 4:45 left in the third quarter just after teammate Vladimir Radmanovic hit a layup to bring the Lakers within eight. ... In a dig at Bryant, the crowd chanted "M-V-P" when Duncan went to the line late in the fourth quarter. ... Ginobili got a standing ovation from the crowd when he went to the bench with 2:56 to play. ... Fisher finished with two points on 1-of-4 shooting. ... The Spurs hit 10 3s, the Lakers hit six.

Celtics beat Pistons in Detroit; lead series 2-1

Kevin Garnett led the Boston Celtics to their first win on the road in the playoffs. He had plenty of help. Garnett scored 22 points and was one of six players to make the Celtics' first six baskets, helping them build the first of many big leads en route to a 94-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

The NBA's top-seeded team had lost its first six road games — tying a league record — and was 9-0 at home until losing Detroit in the previous game.

"We took care of business, getting our first win on the road," Garnett said.

The Pistons will host Game 4 on Monday night.

"They got home court back," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "Monday is a crucial game for us — the biggest of the year."

Detroit rallied to pull within 87-78 — its smallest deficit since midway through the second quarter — but couldn't get closer in a game in which it trailed by as many as 24 points.

"We didn't come out and play. That's it point blank," Pistons rookie reserve Rodney Stuckey said. "We didn't give no effort at all at the start of the game, and you can't do that against a team like that."

Boston's Big Three scored as much as its supporting cast.

Garnett, Ray Allen (14) and Paul Pierce (11) combined for 47 points to match the rest of the team. Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo and James Posey each scored 12 for the Celtics.

"Their role players really hurt us," Saunders said.

Detroit's Richard Hamilton scored 26 points and Stuckey added 17.

Tayshaun Prince scored four points on 2-of-11 shooting and Chauncey Billups had six points and appeared to be slowed after aggravating his right hamstring injury in Game 2.

Boston, which scored the first 11 points, led 50-32 after holding Detroit to a playoff-low in the first half and getting at least two points from each of the nine Celtics who played.

"The main concentration was to come out aggressive and get the lead early," Pierce said.

The Pistons pulled within 13 early in the second half only to have their comeback hopes dashed by the Celtics' 12-0 run.

Boston led by 20-plus points late in the third quarter and ABC-TV showed mercy for Saunders, letting him off the hook for his previously scheduled interview before the fourth.

Besides making shots and playing tough defense, the Celtics beat Detroit to a lot of loose balls and offensive rebounds.

Garnett went to the bench with two fouls 5 minutes into the game and his replacement, P.J. Brown, promptly dunked on his first offensive possession.

The Pistons responded with a 13-0 run to go ahead for the first time only to let the Celtics score the last 10 points of the quarter and take a 25-17 lead.

Boston used nine players in the first quarter and they all scored, helping the team shoot 53 percent and hold Detroit to 30 percent.

After the Pistons pulled within four early in the second quarter, Boston went on a 16-3 run and maintained the cushion as it ended the first half ahead 50-32.

Pierce had just two points, making the lead even more impressive.

Garnett's jumper on the opening possession of the second half put Boston ahead by 20 before Detroit showed some signs of life.

The Pistons pulled within 13 midway through the third, leading to the Celtics calling a timeout.

Boston then scored seven straight, forcing Detroit to call a timeout to search for answers again.

"They came out aggressive and we missed some shots," Saunders said. "We're the type of team, the way we play, we try to grind it out. It's tough to play from behind like that."

Notes:@ The Pistons' loss put a damper on an unprecedented night in sports. The Motor City became the first metropolitan area to host a Stanley Cup finals game and an NBA conference finals game on the same day, according to STATS LLC, and Detroit hosted Minnesota in baseball as a bonus at the same time as the other two games. The crowd cheered when the videoboards showed — Red Wings 4, Penguins 0 — then got even louder when they displayed another score: Tigers 19, Twins 3. ... The Pistons had their first white-out promotion, giving each fan a white T-shirt to wear, and Saunders said there was "no chance" he would wear a white suite as Louisville's Rick Pitino did last season in a similar situation. ... Faces in the crowd included Bob Seger, Anita Baker, Chuck Daly, Jalen Rose and Danny Manning. ... Boston PG Sam Cassell had five points in 8 minutes after not playing in the first two games.

Barry Zito earns first win, Giants beat Marlins

Barry Zito earned his first win of the season after eight straight losses, pitching the San Francisco Giants past the Florida Marlins 8-2 Friday night.

Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand hit consecutive home runs, and Jose Castillo also connected to help the Giants win their third consecutive game.

Zito (1-8) allowed one run and three hits in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out five and walked four for his first victory since Sept. 30, 2007, when he defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Francisco's season finale.

Making his 10th start this year, the left-hander avoided becoming the first starter in franchise history to begin a season 0-9. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner with Oakland, Zito has been a bust in San Francisco since signing a $126 million, seven-year contract before last season.

Rowand drove in three runs, and Molina and Rich Aurilia each had two RBI to lead the Giants.

Dan Uggla hit his 15th homer for Florida. The NL East-leading Marlins were coming off a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lead the NL West.

Molina and Rowand homered in the fourth, giving the Giants a 7-1 lead and chasing Florida starter Scott Olsen after 3 1-3 innings. Olsen (4-2) allowed seven runs and eight hits, struck out two and walked three in his shortest outing of the season.

The Marlins also lost starting right fielder Brett Carroll after Rowand's home run. Carroll sprained his right shoulder after hitting the wall while chasing Rowand's shot. Jacque Jones, who joined the club Friday, replaced Carroll.

Castillo hit a solo shot in the eighth.

Rowand's RBI single and Aurilia's two-run double in the third increased the Giants' lead to 5-1.

The Giants got to Olsen quickly with a two-run first. Molina's run-scoring single and Rowand's sacrifice fly gave San Francisco the early lead.

Uggla drove in both runs for the Marlins, a two-out RBI double in the first and his home run in the ninth.

Miller helps Marlins complete sweep of Arizona

Young left-hander Andrew Miller keeps getting better, and so does his team, the surprising Florida Marlins. Miller limited the Arizona Diamondbacks to five hits in seven innings Thursday night, and Florida won 4-0 to complete a series sweep in a showdown of first-place teams.

The series was the most impressive yet by the Marlins. The team with baseball's lowest payroll built its improbable NL East lead with the help of a weak early schedule, but there was nothing fluky about the way they swept NL West leader Arizona.

The 23-year-old Miller (4-3) had a career-high nine strikeouts, walked one and allowed only one runner to reach second base. Acquired in the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit, Miller had an ERA of 9.12 on May 1, but it's now down to 5.33, and he has won four of his past five decisions.

Logan Kensing and Justin Miller pitched one inning each to complete the seven-hitter.

The Diamondbacks arrived in Miami with the best record in the big leagues, but they totaled only 17 hits in the three games and were outscored 10-3. The shutout was the first against them this season.

The Marlins, last in the majors in fielding, committed no errors in the series and repeatedly came through with clutch hits. As a result, Miami may be coming down with playoff fever: The crowd of 13,233 was the largest this week.

Wes Helms drove in two runs with a pinch-hit double to knock out Dan Haren, and Jorge Cantu also drove in two runs. Haren (5-3) allowed eight hits and four runs in 6 1-3 innings.

The three Arizona pitchers Florida beat came into the series with a combined record of 19-3. On Wednesday, the Marlins became the first team this season to defeat Brandon Webb.

The sweep was the Marlins' fourth this year. Their most recent sweep against Arizona was a three-game set July 28-30, 2003.

The Diamondbacks lost their sixth road game in a row, and their three-game losing streak matches their longest this season.

Florida's Hanley Ramirez, who slumped after dropping to third in the order three weeks ago, moved back to leadoff and started the first inning with a triple. He scored on a groundout by Cantu.

Matt Treanor singled with one out in the seventh, and Alfredo Amezaga followed with a single, his fifth consecutive hit. Helms batted for Andrew Miller and doubled for a 3-0 lead.

Helms hustled to third on a groundout, then scored on Cantu's two-out single.

The Marlins rank only eighth in the NL in ERA, but much of Arizona's lineup left town in a slump. Justin Upton went 0-for-11 in the series with eight strikeouts, and cleanup hitter Conor Jackson went 0-for-9.

Notes:@ Florida's Dan Uggla went 0-for-4, ending his 11-game hitting streak. ... Haren walked none and has allowed only 10 walks in 63 2-3 innings this season.

Manchester United wins European Champions League

Manchester United beat Chelsea 6-5 in a rain-soaked penalty shootout to win the European Champions League title Wednesday night following a 1-1 tie.

In the first final between two English teams, Edwin van der Sar batted away Nicolas Anelka's drive on the 14th kick to give Manchester United its third Champions League title. This championship, following titles in 1968 and 1999, came in the 50th anniversary year of the plane crash that killed eight United players in Munich, Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in the 26th minute for Manchester United, his 42nd goal of the season. Frank Lampard tied it for Chelsea in the 45th at Luzhniki Stadium, pointing both hands skyward in honor of his mother, who died last month.

Ronaldo, considered by many Europe's top player this season, was stopped by goalkeeper Petr Cech on United's third penalty kick. That gave the advantage to Chelsea, which has never won Europe's top club title.

"When we missed the penalty kick, we thought we were in trouble," said United's Alex Ferguson, who led the club to its 22nd title overall since he became manager in September 1986.

Chelsea captain John Terry stepped up with the score 4-4 and the chance to win it. But he slipped and his kick hit a post as Manchester keeper Edwin van der Sar dived the other way. Terry sat on the ground in disbelief.

"I was thinking he's going to score," United defender Rio Ferdinand said of Terry, his defensive teammate on the England squad. "He's a great penalty taker normally. but he slipped."

Anderson and Ryan Giggs — making his club-record 759th appearance — then converted for United around Salomon Kalou's score for Chelsea.

That left it up to Anelka, whose failure at just past 1:30 a.m. set off another celebration for the Red Devils, who 10 days earlier won their second straight English Premier League title by beating out Chelsea on the final day of the season.

While his teammates ran to congratulate Van der Sar in front of the United fans behind the goal, Ronaldo lay face down in the center circle. Eventually he got up to join in the celebrations.

Terry was in tears at the end and was hugged and consoled by coach Avram Grant, who appeared to throw his runners-up medal toward Chelsea fans.

Carlos Tevez, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and Nani scored the other kicks for the Red Devils. Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Lampard, Ashley Cole converted for Chelsea.

Manchester United won its first European title since it was purchased three years ago by Malcolm Glazer, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 2003 Super Bowl.

Chelsea, which has become a European power under high-spending Russian owner Roman Abramovich, finished with 10 men after Didier Drogba was ejected in the 116th minute for petulantly tapping Nemanja Vidic in the face with his hand.

Only the pre-game opening ceremony made it look like Moscow. After that it could have been Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or Wembley as players so familiar with each other were roared on by English fans.

The first 25 minutes, however, were a poor advertisement for the Premier League as Chelsea stifled United's efforts to create moves and the action got stuck in the midfield.

Ronaldo, poorly marked by Michael Essien, Ronaldo headed in a cross from Wes Brown, who had neatly swapped passes with Paul Scholes on the right wing. Ronaldo scored a Champions League-leading eight goals in 11 matches, and his season total was third in United history behind Denis Law (46 in 1963-64) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (44 in 2002-3).

Chelsea equalized when Essien's shot hit defenders Vidic and Ferdinand, and the ball dropped to the unmarked Lampard, who scored from 12 yards.

Lampard hit the crossbar in the fourth minute of injury time with a left-footed shot from 15 yards. Giggs, who broke Bobby Charlton's record for United appearances, nearly broke the tie in the 100th but Terry deflected the shot with his head.

Chicago Bulls win No. 1 pick in NBA draft lottery

Suddenly, a coaching search isn't the only big decision facing the Chicago Bulls.

Now they have to figure out what to do with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The Bulls were the surprise winners of the draft lottery Tuesday night, giving them the right to choose between Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.

Hiring a new coach and deciding what to do in free agency already figured to take up plenty of general manager John Paxson's time. He never figured one of college basketball's stud freshmen could land in his lap.

"I try to stay realistic through all these things for the odds," Paxson said on a conference call. "Tonight for some reason that ball popped up for us and we were there. Now it's my job to make the most of it."

Coming off a miserable season and still without a coach, the Bulls vaulted from the No. 9 spot, where they had a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top choice.

"After this season, we needed a break and I think we just got one tonight," said Steve Schanwald, the Bulls' executive vice president of business operations who represented them on the podium.

Chicago will almost certainly choose between Beasley, the Kansas State forward who averaged 26.2 points and an NCAA-best 12.4 rebounds, or Rose, the point guard who carried Memphis within minutes of the national title.

"We'll have an opportunity to get close to those guys. We'll really take a long look at what makes the most sense for our basketball team," Paxson said. "Having the pick puts you in a unique position to make your team better."

The Miami Heat, who had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick thanks to their NBA-worst 15-67 record, fell to second. The Minnesota Timberwolves will go third.

The Seattle SuperSonics, who moved up to No. 2 last year to pick Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, fell from second to fourth. Memphis will pick fifth, followed by New York, the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee, Charlotte and New Jersey.

Indiana has the 11th pick, followed by Sacramento, Portland and Golden State. The lottery settled the top three spots. The remainder of the first 14 picks are determined inverse order of their record.

The NBA draft will be held June 26 in New York.

Chicago came into the season with high expectations after reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. But the Bulls never recovered from a dismal start and finished 33-49. They fired coach Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve and have already decided not to retain interim coach Jim Boylan.

The Bulls failed to land the coach they wanted, Mike D'Antoni, but the position became much more appealing Tuesday, giving them a chance to draft first for only the second time. The Bulls, who took Elton Brand No. 1 in 1999, could turn this time to hometown star Rose, who D'Antoni said was like Jason Kidd with a jump shot.

"Everybody was picking us to go to the conference finals last year, actually to the NBA finals because we won 49 games the year before and pushed the Detroit Pistons to six games in the second round last year and we have a very exciting good corps of young players, and we added Joakim Noah to that mix," Schanwald said. "Now we will get a chance to add another great player, a really great player. So it is very exciting for us."

Schanwald gave a fist pump early on when he realized he would move up, then took a deep breath and pumped both fists after beating out the Heat, represented by All-Star guard Dwyane Wade.

Only twice have teams with the worst record won the lottery since the current format began in 1994. Though the lottery is weighted to give teams with the poorest records the best chance to win, the longshots keep finding a way.

Last year, Portland and Seattle moved up to grab the top spots, taking Greg Oden and Durant. Again, two star freshmen are the top prizes.

"Obviously the lottery as a precursor to the draft is a time of great hope," commissioner David Stern said.

The Bulls already had a busy offseason planned. Besides hiring a coach, they have to make contract offers to restricted free agents Luol Deng and Ben Gordon.

Now they've got another decision: Beasley or Rose?

"As I sit here tonight, what I think is again you've got two players who are different and unique," Paxson said. "One is point guard. The point guard is a natural leadership position on a team. It's something every team covets. And the other ... just has the unique ability to put the ball in the basket, just will be a go-to scorer.

"I'm certainly not going to throw myself into this thing and do something quickly."

Nor will the Heat. President Pat Riley likes both players, but implied the pick could even be traded.

"Based on their performance and what they did in one season, both of them showed that they can help their team win," Riley said. "Both showed enough physical maturity to be dominant at times as a 19-year-old. All of the intangibles when it comes to competitive desire and when it comes to leadership and character and all of those things, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of a lot of players in the draft."

The Bulls' surprising victory should quickly restore interest in the underachieving team. Interviewed immediately following the result, Schanwald read the number for callers to buy season tickets.

"I thought it was a waste of time. I thought coming here was an absolute waste of time. I knew I would get a great meal out of it, but I thought it was a waste of time," Schanwald said of the Bulls' chances.

"I'm on top of the world. I feel great. It's the most exciting day of my life," he added.

Wings look to finally close out Stars in Game 6

The Detroit Red Wings aren't really going to blow this — are they? Just a few days ago, the Red Wings were still in a span of being undefeated for almost a month, owning the NHL's longest postseason winning streak in 15 years and doing it with flair.

Three games into the Western Conference finals, they hadn't even trailed the Dallas Stars for a single second. All they had to do was win once more to seal a spot in the Stanley Cup finals.

Then the Stars won Game 4. And Game 5.

Now Game 6 is Monday night and the Stars are feeling good, realizing they are halfway to a historic comeback.

"I think that's crept into all of us a little bit," Dallas captain Brenden Morrow said Sunday. "It's building. We're getting a little more of that feeling. None of us will be content just to make a series out of it. We want to win this thing."

As for the Red Wings, they've lost four straight games only once all season. It seems hard to imagine this talented, experienced group would pick Games 4-7 of this series to do it again. Still, they're heading in that direction.

"We still have to stay loose as a group," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "I think the experience really helps when you're in a situation like this."

The Red Wings also lost consecutive games in the opening round. They bounced back by winning their next nine. Along the way, they closed out the first two rounds on the road, something they can do again Monday night.

Plus, Detroit still has a wee bit of wiggle room. Lose another and the Red Wings would still have Game 7 at their place, not that anyone in red would admit thinking like that.

"We're still up 3-2," center Kris Draper said. "That's something that we've got to keep hammering home. We're in a dogfight with a great hockey club. You don't expect that to be easy."

Dallas is the 13th team out of 153 to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 3-2 series. Only five have forced a deciding game, and only two have come all the way back to win the series.

Toronto did it in 1942. The New York Islanders did it 33 years later, in 1975.

Another 33 years later, the Stars are hoping to join the list.

"We've felt if we could get Game 6 at home, it would be a whole different animal," Dallas forward Mike Modano said. "Who knows what can happen Wednesday in Detroit? But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We knew it would be an uphill battle. Nobody picked us to win this thing from the start. Last couple games, we've found a way to win. It's been kind of ugly but it's been effective."

Stars goalie Marty Turco has limited the Red Wings to one goal in each game, setting their playoff low and then matching it. Maybe now Detroit is starting to feel the absence of leaguewide postseason scoring leader Johan Franzen, who has been out since Game 1 because of concussion-like symptoms.

Dallas is doing all the things expected from teams playing with desperation: Skating harder to loose pucks, winning battles in the corners and playing with more energy from start to finish. The Stars also have done a better job of keeping bodies from in front of Turco, reducing point-blank chances and helping the goalie see more shots.

"Everybody's got to pick it up (offensively)," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We've got to try and make adjustments to win. Same old same old will likely give you the same result."

The Stars have a pretty good idea of their foe's mindset, having been in the same situation last round. They won Games 1-3 against San Jose, dropped Games 4 and 5, then got their act together to close them out in six — although it took four overtimes to get it done.

Now that they're doing the chasing, Dallas players are taking momentum into this game, but that's only a good start. Detroit is likely to have some flaws worked out and some new wrinkles worked in. How the Stars handle those will make the biggest difference.

"The odds are against you, to say the least," Turco said. "We've been on both sides. It's not easy. Things haven't changed from (Game 5). We can't lose. We're playing to win. It's Game 6, the biggest game of our careers. We want to keep playing. Who cares how it looks?"

Pens rout Flyers to earn trip to Stanley Cup final

Sid and The Kids are off to the Stanley Cup finals, thanks to a dominating run by a younger-than-young Pittsburgh Penguins team that has taken only two seasons to transform itself from one of the NHL's worst to one of its best.

Ryan Malone, the one Penguins player with firsthand memories of the team's two previous Stanley Cup appearances, scored twice and set up a third goal and Pittsburgh routed Philadelphia 6-0 Sunday to win the Eastern Conference finals.

The Penguins, dominating Game 5 from the start with Malone and Evgeni Malkin scoring in the first 10 minutes, will play the winner of the Detroit-Dallas series for the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings take a 3-2 series lead into Dallas for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Monday night.

"It's unbelievable just to realize we're four wins away," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet that these next few games are the Stanley Cup finals."

Marian Hossa had a goal and three assists and Sidney Crosby, the 20-year-old captain of a team that was the Eastern Conference's worst two seasons ago, added two assists. Jordan Staal, only 19, scored his third goal in two games and fourth of the series. Pascal Dupuis, an Atlanta teammate of Hossa's before the two were dealt to Pittsburgh at the trading deadline, also scored.

Pittsburgh, one of the youngest teams to play for a championship in any major pro sport, goes for the Cup for the first time since 1992, when Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux — long before he bought the team — led the Penguins to their second title in two seasons. Malone was the only current Penguins player who was there, along for the ride as the 12-year-old son of then-Penguins scouting director and former player Greg Malone.

"Never, never would have thought it," Ryan Malone said of someday playing for the Cup himself. "I don't think I realized until my junior year of college (at St. Cloud State) I would have a chance to play pro hockey. ... It's pretty special, pretty special and I definitely feel privileged."

By the time Dupuis made it 6-0 about 4 minutes into the third period, the Penguins were conjuring up memories of their first Cup run in 1991, when they beat Minnesota 8-0 in Game 6 of the finals to secure their first Stanley Cup.

Crosby was presented with the conference championship trophy, but it remained on the presentation table at mid-ice as neither Crosby nor any other Penguins player touched it. By superstition, most teams decline to handle any trophy unless it's the Stanley Cup.

Crosby said, "We all realized it's not the one we want to be holding."

"We want the big trophy," Hossa said.

For the overachieving Flyers, it was a disappointingly bad finish to an unexpectedly good season. Last in the NHL overall standings last season, they made a series of productive offseason moves to rebuild in a hurry and not only made the playoffs, but upset third-seeded Washington and top-seeded Montreal before losing in the first all-Pennsylvania conference finals.

"We're not happy with the score, but in the end if it's 2-1 or 3-1, we still lost," defenseman Derian Hatcher said. "The botttom line is they beat us and they're a good team. We're not going to make excuses, we lost to a good team. For where we were last year to this point, the team has made a huge turnaround."

The Flyers fell behind in the series 3-0, just as Ottawa and the New York Rangers did in Pittsburgh's previous two series, as the Penguins needed only 14 games to reach the Cup finals. They are 12-2 in the postseason and 8-0 in 47-year-old Mellon Arena, the NHL's oldest arena but one that will host at least one more finals before the Penguins move into a new arena across the street in about two years.

Intensive arena negotiations with local and state leaders took years to complete before being finalized 15 months ago, and ownership flirted with moving the club if a building deal wasn't done.

Now, the Penguins have won their last 16 at home dating to the regular season, not losing there since a shootout loss to San Jose on Feb. 24.

What a transformation for a Penguins team that had four consecutive last-place teams from 2002-06, allowing the franchise to draft key components such as Crosby, the 21-year-old Malkin and 23-year-old goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. In any other major pro sport, most or all would likely be in college or the minors due to their age.

Fleury, like Crosby a No. 1 draft pick when Greg Malone was running the Penguins' draft, made 21 saves in yet another impressive performance and is 22-4-1 since late November.

"I think there was a great head scout there at the time," Malone said, laughing, referring to his dad's contributions.

Greg Malone didn't get to watch his son's big game Sunday, as the Coyotes scout was in Phoenix for organizational meetings.

Malone got a power-play goal with only 2 1/2 minutes gone off Crosby's pass from the right point, then created the Penguins' second goal midway through the first. He outfought goalie Martin Biron for the puck behind the net, with Biron losing his stick, then made a backward pass so Malkin could reach around and stuff it inside the post.

"They came out strong and we didn't match their intensity, I don't know what is was, it was one of those games where they had it and we didn't," the Flyers' Mike Richards said.

The Penguins are winning with a commitment to defense that often was lacking with a franchise that has long had a preference for goal scorers such as Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr rather than goal stoppers. They're also winning with a coach, Michel Therrien, who was hired by previous management and, despite overseeing the fourth-best single-season turnaround in NHL history only last season, was given only a one-year contract extension.

"They have strong goaltending and good forwards and their defense is underrated," Richards said. "They play a very good defensive game."

Philadelphia welcomed back All-Star defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who missed the first four games of the series with a blood clot on his left ankle, but even he couldn't make a difference as the Penguins put this one away early. They led 3-0 before the midpoint of the second period as Hossa scored his ninth of the postseason. By then, the sellout crowd of 17,132 was alternating its familiar "Let's Go Pens" chants with "Go Home Flyers."

Notes:@ Malkin and linemate Petr Sykora played after missing practice Saturday with undisclosed illnesses. Malkin, who also has nine playoff goals, hadn't scored since Game 1 of the series. ... Pittsburgh is 10-0 in the playoffs when it scores first. ... Philadelphia has lost six in a row and 11 of 12 in Pittsburgh, counting the regular season.

Sen. Specter wants independent Spygate probe

Hold on, NFL. Spygate isn't over. Not if the "incensed" Pittsburgh Steelers fan in Congress has anything to do with it. Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday called for an independent investigation of the New England Patriots' taping of opposing coaches' signals, possibly similar to the high-profile Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball.

"What is necessary is an objective investigation," Specter said at a news conference in the Capitol. "And this one has not been objective."

The Pennsylvania Republican was unforgiving of his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying that Goodell has made "ridiculous" assertions that wouldn't fly "in kindergarten." The Senator said Goodell was caught in an "apparent conflict of interest" because the NFL doesn't want the public to lose confidence in the league's integrity.

"They are enormous role models for everybody," Specter said. "If you can cheat in the NFL, you can cheat in college, you can cheat in high school, you can cheat on your grade-school math test. There's no limit as to what you can do. I think they owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility."

Goodell essentially declared an end to Spygate after a 3 1/2-hour meeting in New York on Tuesday morning with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh. Walsh supplied the league with videotapes of coaches' signals made by the Patriots, but offered no new significant revelations about the cheating scandal that has threatened to taint the team's three Super Bowl titles.

Goodell said afterward that the information from the interview with Walsh "was consistent with what we disciplined the Patriots for last fall," when the commissioner docked the team a 2008 first-round draft pick and fined coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000.

But Specter held his own three-hour meeting with Walsh in Washington on Tuesday. He said Walsh detailed how the Patriots used videotaped signals to their advantage: an offensive player would memorize the signals, watch for them on the sideline and pass them on to assistant coach Charlie Weis, who would then inform quarterback Tom Brady.

"And they had some obviously good results," Specter said.

Specter said he would prefer the NFL arrange the independent investigation and was willing to wait several months — while he continues to undergo chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin's disease — before calling for Congress to take what he called "corrective action." Such action could include hearings or a full-blown Mitchell Report-type investigation. He said public reaction would determine the NFL's next step.

"I would hope that the commissioner would do this on his own," Specter said.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no comment on Specter's remarks.

Earlier Wednesday, the Boston Herald apologized for a story that said the Patriots videotaped a St. Louis Rams walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl.

In the apology, published in the newspaper's Wednesday edition and posted on its Web site, the Herald said the story was based on sources "it believed to be credible."

"We now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed," the paper wrote.

"We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification. The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots' owners, players, employees and fans for our error."

Specter repeated his disapproval of Goodell's decision to destroy the notes and tapes confiscated during the initial investigation last fall, as well as the "piecemeal" way the league has revealed details about the tapings. He also cited the fact a Patriots attorney sat in on Walsh's meeting with Goodell as proof the investigation has not been impartial.

"That sequence is incomprehensible," Specter said. "It's an insult to the intelligence of the people who follow it."

Specter's interest in Spygate centers in part on the two NFL teams in his state. The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2005, the same season in which the Steelers were defeated by New England in the AFC championship game.

Pittsburgh defeated New England earlier that season, and the implication is that taped signals from that game helped the Patriots in the rematch. Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has called the matter a "non-issue."

"I have a different perspective," Specter said. "I'm elected by 12 million people., and a lot of them are Steeler fans. ... Frankly I'm incensed about what happened with the Steelers, and I'm incensed about the notes being destroyed. I really am."

Specter was again asked whether his interest in the matter has to do with Philadelphia-based Comcast, one of his largest campaign contributors. Comcast has been involved in a dispute with the league over the placement of the NFL Network on its cable system.

"They have been a campaign contributor," Specter said, "along with 50,000 other people ... I've been at this line of work for a long time, and no one has ever questioned my integrity."

___

AP Sports Writers Rachel Cohen in New York and Howard Ulman in Foxborough, Mass., contributed to this report.

Pistons oust Magic, reach 6th straight East finals

The Detroit Pistons made just enough shots and stops to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for a sixth straight year.

Richard Hamilton scored 19 of his 31 points in the first half, made victory-sealing free throws late in the game and Tayshaun Prince had a key block, helping Detroit hold off the Orlando Magic for a 91-86 win Tuesday night in Game 5 of the second-round series.

"Playing in six straight is awesome, but now we expect to do this," Hamilton said. "We're supposed to be here."

The Pistons will have a break before facing the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.

Detroit made just 36 percent of its shots and allowed the Magic to make nearly half of their attempts, but made up for the disparity at the line and by taking care of the ball.

The Pistons were 28-of-32 at the line and had just three turnovers — setting an NBA playoff record for the fewest giveaways in a game — while Orlando was 16-of-28 and had a playoff-high 21 turnovers, which turned into 34 points for Detroit.

"The fact that the game is close at the end when you look at the free throw shooting and turnover disparity is remarkable," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.

To the Magic's credit, they didn't go away easily against a playoff-tested team that improved to 15-3 when it has a chance to advance since 2003.

Detroit led by 10 late, but was ahead 85-84 with just under a minute left after Hedo Turkoglu made back-to-back shots.

The Pistons won when Hamilton made two key free throws, Prince blocked Turkoglu's dunk attempt, and Hamilton made two more at the line in the last 20 seconds of the game.

Playing without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring, rookie Rodney Stuckey filled the void with 15 points, six assists and no turnovers.

"I'm never scared," Stuckey said.

Antonio McDyess had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace had 14 points and Prince added 10.

Turkoglu had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson had 14 points apiece for the Magic. Nelson had guaranteed his team would extend the series with a win.

"We played them tough," Nelson said. "If there's anyone in their locker room who didn't think this was tough, they don't know what tough is."

Howard also had 17 rebounds and three blocks, but his night was marred by going 6-of-15 at the line.

Orlando was in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

The Magic scored the last seven points of the first quarter to make it 20-all in what had to be a frustrating score for them.

They allowed Detroit to score all but two of its points off turnovers and offensive rebounds.

Lewis had as many missed shots (four) as turnovers in a scoreless first, but each of the other starters scored at least four points to make up for the awful start from the team's leading scorer.

When Lewis finally scored midway through the second quarter, his hook capped a 10-2 run that put Orlando ahead 33-27.

Detroit then went on a 16-3 run, and took a 47-41 lead into halftime.

The Pistons enjoyed quite an advantage at the line.

Hamilton made all 10 of his free throws before intermission and Detroit missed only one of 14 attempts while Howard was 6-of-13 to sink Orlando's total to 7-of-16 in the first half.

The Magic carried a 68-65 lead into the final period but struggled at the start of the fourth. After Lewis made two free throws in the opening seconds, Orlando went scoreless for nearly 7 minutes as the Pistons went ahead on Stuckey's steal and layup during a McDyess-led 13-0 run that put them ahead 78-70.

The Magic still wouldn't go away until fading in the final seconds.

"It's good to get this over with," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "Now we get a chance to rest, especially Chauncey, and we get a chance to prepare."

Notes:@ With his 11th point, Hamilton broke Isiah Thomas' career playoff scoring record of 2,261 points and he did it in 110 games — one fewer than Thomas needed to set the mark. "That's a great honor because Isiah is Detroit basketball," Hamilton said. "To pass one of his records is crazy because I haven't been here that long." ... Hamilton is four games away from breaking Bill Laimbeer's franchise record of 113 playoff appearances. ... Stuckey, drafted by Detroit with a pick acquired from Orlando for Darko Milicic, was named to the All-Rookie second team. ... Saunders said McDyess was told as he was arriving at the arena that his grandmother, who helped raise him, had died.

Suspects in Taylor murder won't face death penalty

Prosecutors said Monday they will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people cannot be executed for crimes committed when they're under 18, and it's a well established legal principle that others involved in the same case as a minor cannot face the ultimate penalty if they are less directly responsible.

Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin filed notice Friday that the death penalty will be waived. That means the four suspects could get a maximum of life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder after a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 25.

Eric Rivera Jr., who turned 18 last month, was 17 at the time police say he shot Taylor during a botched robbery at the Pro Bowl safety's Miami-area home in November. Taylor, 24, died of massive blood loss after he was shot in the upper leg.

The Taylor family accepted prosecutor's explanation for the move, a family spokesman said.

"All the co-defendants can't be subject to the death penalty if the (alleged) shooter is not," said Richard Sharpstein, a lawyer who has acted as spokesman for the Taylor family. "There are no issues of discretion here. There's no choice."

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are barred from discussing the case with reporters under a gag order. But Hunte's attorney, Michael Hornung said in a telephone interview that prosecutors would have had to prove a conspiracy aimed at killing Taylor in order to seek death for the three adults.

"I'm not shocked or surprised they are not going forward with the death penalty," Hornung said. "That would have been challenging legally."

Taylor was an All-American at the University of Miami and was a member of the Hurricanes' national championship team in 2001. He was selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2004 draft by the Redskins and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.

Suspects in Taylor murder won't face death penalty

Prosecutors said Monday they will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people cannot be executed for crimes committed when they're under 18, and it's a well established legal principle that others involved in the same case as a minor cannot face the ultimate penalty if they are less directly responsible.

Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin filed notice Friday that the death penalty will be waived. That means the four suspects could get a maximum of life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder after a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 25.

Eric Rivera Jr., who turned 18 last month, was 17 at the time police say he shot Taylor during a botched robbery at the Pro Bowl safety's Miami-area home in November. Taylor, 24, died of massive blood loss after he was shot in the upper leg.

The Taylor family accepted prosecutor's explanation for the move, a family spokesman said.

"All the co-defendants can't be subject to the death penalty if the (alleged) shooter is not," said Richard Sharpstein, a lawyer who has acted as spokesman for the Taylor family. "There are no issues of discretion here. There's no choice."

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are barred from discussing the case with reporters under a gag order. But Hunte's attorney, Michael Hornung said in a telephone interview that prosecutors would have had to prove a conspiracy aimed at killing Taylor in order to seek death for the three adults.

"I'm not shocked or surprised they are not going forward with the death penalty," Hornung said. "That would have been challenging legally."

Taylor was an All-American at the University of Miami and was a member of the Hurricanes' national championship team in 2001. He was selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2004 draft by the Redskins and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.

Tim Duncan scores 22 as Spurs beat Hornets 100-80

Tim Duncan had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 100-80 on Sunday night in Game 4 to even the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.

Tony Parker added 21 points for the Spurs, who are assured of a Game 6 back in San Antonio. Chris Paul scored 23 for the Hornets. Game 5 is Tuesday in New Orleans.

The Spurs led by as many as 27 and were ahead nearly the entire game. They shot 51 percent (39-of-76), while the Hornets were cold when it counted. They shot 37 percent through three quarters and finished 33-of-82 (40 percent) from the field.

The Spurs scored 40 points in the paint. New Orleans' plan to keep Parker out of the lane didn't work, as he knifed his way through heavy traffic or found openings to get to the rim, and hit jumpers.

Manu Ginobili, who also got to the rim at will in Game 3, wasn't as successful in Game 4. But he hit jumpers and two 3-pointers, finishing with 15 points. Duncan also had four blocks.

The Spurs outrebounded the Hornets 45-36 and outscored them 30-19 in the decisive third quarter.

The Hornets' David West had three blocks but was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and was visibly frustrated. Reserve Jannero Pargo scored 11 for the Hornets.

The Hornets were hoping to return to New Orleans with a commanding 3-1 series lead, but allowed Duncan and Parker to shoot a combined 18-of-25 from the field. The only area where the duo struggled was its free-throw shooting. Duncan was 2-of-5 and Parker 5-of-8.

The Spurs were ahead for all but 3:24 in the first half, taking the lead for good after Parker's layup with 8:36 to play in the first quarter broke a 4-all tie.

San Antonio shot 57.5 percent in the first half, led by Parker and Duncan, who each hit 7-of-10 from the field. Parker had no problem getting to the rim early to lead the Spurs with 18 points at the break.

He had two layups as part of a 13-2 Spurs run, and his jumper capped the burst with 5:27 left in the second quarter to put the Spurs up 45-28.

Duncan, who had flu-like symptoms and ran a fever earlier in the series but said he felt good the day before Game 4, was as effective as he's been against the Hornets this series. He had 15 points and three blocks at the half.

His spin move on Tyson Chandler for an easy layup put San Antonio up 47-33 with four minutes left in the half.

Paul had 14 points at halftime, but the Hornets were down 55-42 at the break. West was struggling as he was harassed by the Spurs but also missed a couple of open shots, including an airball to start the second quarter.

In the third quarter, when the Hornets were so dominant in the first two games, the Spurs kept up their hot shooting and New Orleans got worse.

Chandler had to sit with 8:39 to play after picking up his fourth and fifth fouls in quick succession. He finished with just two points — a pair of free throws — and four rebounds.

Ginobili's floating jumper with 7:19 left and ensuing foul shot put the Spurs up 69-48, and the Spurs would finish the quarter with a 7-0 run and their biggest lead of the night to that point, 85-61.

Hornets coach Byron Scott emptied his bench to start the fourth. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich soon did the same.

Notes:@ Paul's mother and Hornets F Julian Wright's mother were in attendance ... The Hornets switched to their teal uniforms on Sunday from the gold they wore in Game 3. ... Parker's wife, Eva Longoria Parker, was at the game. She missed her own TV show, ABC's "Desperate Housewives," which was on during the game. ... Actor Tommy Lee Jones and country singer George Strait also were in the crowd. ... Spurs F Robert Horry played in his 237th playoff game Sunday, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA record. ... Ime Udoka scored 15 for the Spurs. Michael Finley had 12.

(This version CORRECTS Spurs 100, Hornets 80. UPDATES with details; corrects Hornets shooting in graf 4.)

Pistons don't need Chauncey Billups to push Magic to brink

Richard Hamilton scored 32 points and Hedo Turkoglu missed a layup with time running out as the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 90-89 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Tayshaun Prince scored 17 for Detroit, including an 11-foot runner for the go-ahead basket with 8.9 seconds left. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and eight rebounds. Antonio McDyess had eight points and 14 boards.

Orlando squandered a 15-point lead in the third quarter. After Prince's basket, Turkoglu's layup from the left side of the lane was no good and didn't draw a foul, and Dwight Howard's putback was also off the mark.

The Pistons, the first team to win on the road in the second round, can clinch the series when it returns to Detroit on Tuesday.

The Pistons won despite playing without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, held out after straining his hamstring in Thursday's game.

Turkoglu scored 20 for Orlando and three players added 15 points — Rashard Lewis, Maurice Evans and Jameer Nelson.

The Pistons held Howard in check all game, forcing several turnovers on Magic passes inside and largely preventing the All-Star from getting the ball near the rim. They double-teamed and banged him around but didn't commit many fouls on the 59 percent free throw shooter. Howard shot only two free throws, making both. He finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.

Detroit climbed out of a 55-44 halftime deficit with a 15-0 run over nearly seven minutes in the third quarter to tie it at 63. McDyess and Hamilton each scored four in the run and Lindsey Hunter, activated because of Billups' injury, hit a 3-pointer. The Magic missed eight straight shots and committed two turnovers in the span.

Pistons rookie Rodney Stuckey made his first playoff start in place of Billups, but Hunter took over the ballhandling duties much of the time with Stuckey in foul trouble. Hunter rarely appeared in the regular season, playing a career-low 24 games and spending 46 on the inactive list in his 15th pro year. He looked rusty early but finished with eight points and three assists.

Billups is third on Detroit's career playoff scoring list and was averaging 15.8 points and 5.7 assists this postseason. In the end, the Pistons didn't need him.

Notes:@ Howard and McDyess were called for a double technical after colliding in the fourth quarter, and Keyon Dooling picked one up in the fourth quarter after getting into it with Hamilton ... McDyess started in place of Jason Maxiell, who took over the job in the Pistons' first-round series against Philadelphia. ... Orlando is winless in the playoffs (0-4) when it fails to score at least 100 points. ... Detroit is 3-2 on the road in the postseason. ... Tiger Woods, who has a home in the area, watched from courtside.

Hot state of hockey as Flyers, Penguins meet in East finals

Some NHL rivalries evolve from a big game, a major trade or a short-lived scuffle, then fade after a few years. Not the Philadelphia Flyers vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This rivalry is real, perpetual, and, mostly, downright nasty.

Evolving from state lines and bloodlines — and it's mostly bad blood — it's been one of the league's most heated since the teams were born in 1967. Now, for the first time, it will decide a Stanley Cup finalist as the Pennsylvania teams meet in the Eastern Conference finals beginning Friday night.

"All the games (during the season) were heated and now we go into the conference finals and I'm expecting it to be heated again, and even more," Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen said.

Only Timonen won't be part of it. He is expected to miss the series with a blood clot in his left ankle that developed during the second-round series against Montreal, a major setback for the Flyers.

Timonen is their most skilled defenseman and was expected to be matched against Pittsburgh leading scorer Evgeni Malkin's line.

"We have to view this that he's not a player for us in the series, and march on," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said.

Mimicking their locations in diametric corners of one of the East Coast's biggest states, the teams are polar opposites, which makes the talented Timonen's absence all the more significant.

The Penguins, much like the days when Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were the team's big names, are flash and dash, speed and flair with scoring stars Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa. They've won eight of nine in the playoffs and all five home games, a relatively easy start for a youthful team whose three biggest stars, including goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, are 23 or younger.

The Flyers, while possessing multiple scoring lines like Pittsburgh, are rightful descendants of the franchise's fabled Broad Street Bullies, winning through toughness and intimidation. They muscled up to the Penguins' stars, pushed them around, distracted them with some success while winning five of eight during the season.

A season series that, on Dec. 11, required only 20 seconds for the first fight to start.

Asked when the rivalry might kick in again, Penguins forward Ryan Malone said, "Probably right when the puck drops (Friday night), I think."

Don't think there's a difference between the style of play in the usually free-flowing Western Conference and the rivalry-filled East? Consider this.

In their four regular-season games, Western Conference finalists Dallas and Detroit combined for 26 power plays and two power-play goals. In their eight games, the Flyers and Penguins combined for a remarkable 86 power plays and 20 power-play goals.

"I think the only difference in us that you'll see from the regular season is that no one wants to take that extra one," Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "It's OK to be physical, it's OK to play the body, it's OK to play hard, but no one wants to take that extra penalty."

Not with Philadelphia No. 3 and Pittsburgh No. 4 in playoff power-play conversions, with the Penguins getting at least one power-play goal in all but one game.

If there's a common theme between Flyers coach John Stevens and Penguins coach Michel Therrien — who, coincidentally, faced each other twice in AHL playoff series — is that it's as important for their teams to stay under control as it is to control the other.

"We want to be aggressive. We want to play with urgency and intensity," Stevens said. "But if we're undisciplined, we're just neutralizing ourselves."

For the Penguins, that means finding a way to slow Pittsburgh native R.J. Umberger, who had eight goals in the second round against Montreal and six during the season against them.

For the Flyers, that means somehow containing the multiple waves of Penguins scorers that will emerge from the Malkin and Crosby lines to challenge goalie Martin Biron.

"We know they will target guys like Crosby and Malkin and Hossa and (Petr) Sykora, but that's fine," Therrien said. "That's the playoffs. Ottawa tried to do it. The Rangers tried to do it."

That they're facing each other to play for the Stanley Cup is something new. That each has figured in the other winning Cups is not.

In 1969, the Penguins passed on defenseman Bobby Clarke in the draft at No. 15 and the Flyers grabbed the future Hall of Famer at No. 17. In 1990, the Flyers picked Mike Ricci at No. 3, allowing Jagr to fall to Pittsburgh at No. 5. The Penguins won the Cup for the first time 11 months later, then captured it again a season later after the Flyers dealt them forward Rick Tocchet and defenseman Kjell Samuelsson.

Maybe there is some brotherly love in this rivalry after all. Then again, maybe not.

During the Penguins' 10-7 win in Game 5 of the 1989 conference semifinals, angry Flyers goalie Ron Hextall chased forward Rob Brown across the ice after Brown's goal made it 9-2. Equally embarrassed and incensed, the Flyers won the next two games and the series.

Crosby's introduction to the rivalry came by the blunt end of Flyers defenseman Darian Hatcher's stick in November 2005, leaving Crosby with some chipped teeth, a bloody mouth and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for protesting the lack of a penalty. No doubt that's one reason he has 37 points in 20 career games against them.

Now, there could be seven Flyers-Penguins games over two weeks in what truly will be a heated state of hockey.

"You know, why not beat each other up a little bit to get on to the next round?" Malone said, laughing.

Gloves and visors for the fans are optional.

"They're notorious for being physical and being on the edge of dirty, and that's the way you have to play in the playoffs," Penguins defenseman Hal Gill said. "But you have to toe that line and be smart. That's what the challenge is going to be."

Parker, Ginobili both score 31; Spurs beat Hornets in Game 3

There was no third-quarter breakdown for the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, just the desperate play of a team whose quest for a second straight NBA title was on the line. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both scored 31 points to lead the Spurs to a 110-99 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.

With the win, the Spurs avoided falling into an ominous 0-3 hole from which no NBA team has never returned.

Chris Paul led the Hornets, who still hold a 2-1 series lead, with 35 points and nine assists. David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which was dominant in the first two games of the series.

Game 4 is Sunday night in San Antonio.

With the Spurs' win, the home teams are 10-0 in the four conference semifinal series.

After trading leads all night, the Spurs led 83-78 entering the fourth quarter.

Ginobili led a Spurs charge early in the final period. Left alone, he hit a wide-open 3 and was fouled by Bonzi Wells, who scrambled at him to guard the shot. Ginobili's free throw put San Antonio up 87-82, and another 3 by Ginobili 38 seconds later made it 90-84.

New Orleans got within 90-88 before the Spurs took over, playing out the fourth quarter better than they have played all series.

San Antonio went on an 11-0 burst featuring Ginobili, Parker and Tim Duncan to take a 101-88 lead with 5:57 to play.

The Spurs couldn't stop Paul, but West missed three of four free throws and the Hornets got no closer than 10 points in the latter half of the quarter.

The Spurs outscored the Hornets 27-21 in the fourth with Parker and Ginobili combining for 17 points.

Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Hornets took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter before the Spurs evened things and started the second quarter down 23-21.

While Bruce Bowen was largely successful in containing 3-point sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic in the first half, West and Paul, the stars of Games 1 and 2, were let loose and shot a combined 14-of-21 to account for 30 of the Hornets' points at halftime.

Tyson Chandler dunked alley-oop passes from West, Paul and Wells in the first half, each time quieting the raucous Spurs crowd that took to booing both the officials and the Hornets.

The Spurs led by as many as four points in the second quarter after Michael Finley, who came off the bench because usual reserve Ginobili started, hit a corner 3 to give San Antonio a 41-37 lead.

After Parker hit a jumper with 49 seconds to play in the first half, Stojakovic and Morris Peterson each hit 3s to leave the Spurs down 56-49 with 23 seconds left. But Bowen hit a 3 and Ginobili hit a buzzer-beating jumper to bring San Antonio within 56-54 at halftime.

Duncan was quiet in the first half with just five points as New Orleans' double-teams continued to hamper him.

In the third the Spurs did not break down as they did in Games 1 and 2 when New Orleans took control. Their Big 3 — Duncan, Parker and Ginobili — took over, scoring all but three of San Antonio's 29 points in the period.

But the Hornets wouldn't go away as Paul scored 11 points in the quarter. Late in the period he hit a shot when he flipped up the ball as he spun around and put his back to the basket. Paul also got fouled for a three-point play to bring the Hornets within 77-76.

Notes:@ Paul's shoes read "Brian!" in white lettering in honor of an 8-year-old fan with cancer who was set to attend Monday's Game 2 but missed it with a fever and died hours later. ... Paul was named first-team All-NBA on Thursday. Duncan was named to the second team and Ginobili the third. ... Paul's right knee was wrapped at the Hornets' shootaround on Thursday morning. Coach Byron Scott said he was a bit banged up, but fine. ... Stojakovic finished with eight points. Chandler had 12. ... Bowen scored 12 points for San Antonio and Finley had 11.

Lewis scores 33 as Magic rout Pistons, trim deficit to 2-1

The Orlando Magic won't be swept by the Detroit Pistons again. Rashard Lewis made sure of it Wednesday night. Lewis scored a career playoff-high 33 points and the Magic broke down the Pistons' stout defense in a 111-86 victory.

Detroit leads the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-1, but it may have to play without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups.

The Pistons lost Billups just four minutes into the game when he drove to the basket and got tangled up with Orlando's Jameer Nelson. Nelson's leg caught Billups' foot, and the Pistons guard fell hard to the court with a strained right hamstring. Billups, Detroit's steady floor leader and clutch 3-point threat, was averaging 17.5 points in the postseason and had 28 against the Magic in Game 2.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders said the team hoped Billups would be able to play in Game 4 on Saturday in Orlando, but would re-evaluate him on Thursday.

"I'm concerned because he's our quarterback; he runs our team," Saunders said. "You saw our first two games. He's been a huge part of why we've been successful — that matchup has been huge for us."

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points for Detroit and Tayshaun Prince had 22, while Rasheed Wallace scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting. With Billups out, rookie Rodney Stuckey stepped up big for the Pistons, scoring 19 points — nine in the second quarter.

Dwight Howard had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, and Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu both scored 18.

The Magic had lost nine straight playoff games to the Pistons, tied for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. That dated to 2003, when Detroit rallied from a 3-1 deficit to advance, and included a 4-0 sweep in the first round last season.

Immediately after Billups was injured Orlando went on an 18-4 run in under six minutes to take a 24-6 lead, by far its largest of the series to that point. The Magic held a one-point lead in Game 1 and were up by four in Game 2. Nelson scored eight points in the run and had 12 in the first quarter on 4-of-6 shooting.

The Pistons drew within 73-69 at the end of the third quarter despite going nearly four minutes without a field goal. Besides a jumper by Wallace, Stuckey, Hamilton and Prince scored all 27 points for Detroit in the third quarter, while Orlando went 6-of-21 from the field.

Two stars struggling in the series for both teams — Orlando's Lewis and Detroit's Hamilton — found their stroke in the first half. Lewis scored 12 of Orlando's last 14 points before halftime, while Hamilton scored 10 on a handful of jumpers in the second quarter.

Lewis was shooting just 36 percent from the field in the first two games of the series, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range. He shot 11-of-15 on Wednesday, 5-of-6 from behind the arc.

Detroit failed to score a field goal in the opening 4:27 of the fourth quarter until Hamilton made a layup. By then the Magic were ahead 87-73, and the Pistons would get no closer.

Orlando finally found a way to take care of the ball. The Magic had 11 turnovers, the same as Detroit in Game 3 and a vast improvement over the 19 they committed in Game 2.

Notes:@ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy joked before the game that Orlando would probably be "the first one under the new rule to have a basket disallowed" if the NBA changed its replay procedures following Billups' controversial third-quarter 3-pointer on Monday. The league said Tuesday the basket shouldn't have counted, but the referees had no choice. ... Detroit's 16 first-quarter points set a 2008 team playoff low, while Orlando's 30 in the period set a Pistons' opponent high for a quarter. ... The Pistons were the only playoff team that hasn't given up 100 points in a game.

Paul Maurice fired after failing to get Leafs into playoffs

Paul Maurice was fired as coach of the Maple Leafs on Wednesday after Toronto failed to make the playoffs during his two years. The dismissal was the first big move in what is expected to be an active offseason for the team.

"This is a start of a new era for the Maple Leafs," interim general manager Cliff Fletcher said at a news conference at Air Canada Centre. "This is all part and parcel of that."

The Maple Leafs finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-35-11 record and missed a playoff spot by 11 points.

They are looking for a full-time GM after firing John Ferguson in January. In other moves Wednesday, assistant coach Randy Ladouceur was dismissed while assistant Dallas Eakins was offered a position elsewhere in the organization. Keith Acton will remain an assistant.

Maurice, who had one year left on his contract, was informed of the decision hours before the news conference. In 2003, he was fired as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.

"You know the way the season ended up and the changes that are going to take place on the team," Maurice told The Canadian Press from his Toronto home. "So I was very aware that it was a possibility."

Fletcher said the ouster will pave the way for the new management team to bring in its own staff.

"A new regime is coming in place and I think when you bring in a new regime they bring their own people," he said. "It's just common sense."

The quick decision by the Leafs allows the 41-year-old Maurice to look for other NHL jobs.

"I appreciate it happening sooner rather than later," he said.

Maurice said this coaching dismissal was slightly easier to take than the first one.

"You don't take it nearly as personally I don't think," he said. "It's always a very difficult thing because it's a competition every day and when you lose that competition it's difficult."

Maurice's job was spared in January when the team fired Ferguson and replaced him with Fletcher on an interim basis.

Maurice and Ferguson said the Leafs would be a playoff team competing for the Stanley Cup. When asked to assess the good and the bad during his two years behind the Leafs bench, Maurice wasn't ready to respond.

"I don't know that I'm in the right state of mind to go through them right now," he said. "The fact of the matter is that there are always things — even in good seasons — that you would like to have changed. At the same time, you made the decisions with experience, with your entire staff on board, and you live with those results."

Ferguson hired Maurice on May 12, 2006 after firing Pat Quinn. That move came after the Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

Maurice's first season with the club came in 2006-07 after coaching the AHL farm team. The Leafs had a winning record but missed the playoffs by one point.

Maurice became an NHL coach at age 28, spending eight years as coach of the Hartford Whalers and Carolina. His best season was 2001-02, when Carolina eliminated Toronto in the Eastern Conference final to reach the championship series for the first time.

The Hurricanes fired Maurice 30 games into the 2003-04 season. His next coaching job came when he joined the Toronto organization in 2005-06 to guide the AHL's Toronto Marlies.

LeBron comes to Boston looking to oust NBA-best Celtics

Doc Rivers got a chance to see another side of LeBron James in February, when the Celtics coach was running the Eastern Conference All-Star team and the Cavaliers forward was winning the game's MVP award for the second time.

It wasn't the shooting: Rivers has seen James score 30 points just about every time he's played Boston. Or the rebounding that led Rivers to dub James "Shaq-at-guard." Or the passing the coach compared to a Nolan Ryan fastball.

"His focus in the timeouts," Rivers said after practice on Monday. "It actually caught me off guard. His eyes were like beaming at me. You don't see that often. Especially not at the All-Star game."

Rivers will have to watch James work from the other bench on Tuesday night when Cleveland comes to Boston for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Unfortunately, he didn't pick anything up while coaching James that will help him coach against him.

"I wish," Rivers said with a laugh. "As a matter of fact, I saw things the other way."

Before being held to a mere 26 points in their final regular-season matchup, James scored 30 or more in nine straight games against the Celtics — something only Wilt Chamberlain can match. Seven of those performances came before Boston put together its Big Three, though.

In three games this season, James averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and just under 10 assists.

"You've always got to keep an eye on him wherever he is on the court," said Paul Pierce, who will be primarily responsible for guarding the person he called "arguably the best player in the NBA."

"I'm not trying to turn this into a one-on-one. I know that I don't have to get 35 points and 15 rebounds for us to win."

That's because while Cleveland is largely LeBron and his supporting cast, the Celtics can boast three legitimate stars in Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Pierce and Allen also joined James at the All-Star game; Garnett sat out with an abdominal strain after finishing first in the NBA in fan voting.

Allen obviously enjoyed being James' teammate: The Celtics guard scored a game-high 28 points and made three straight 3-pointers in the last 3:15 to lead the East to victory.

What did he learn from playing with James?

"If I'd taken two more shots," Allen said with a smile, "I probably would have won the MVP."

Boston plays lip service to worrying about the rest of the Cavaliers, but Cleveland really has to spread its defense to cover the three All-Stars.

"I think with (Garnett), Ray and Paul, they feel like it's their time," Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "They had such a great regular season and they feel like this is their shot at winning it all. Because the longer you stay in the league, you realize how few and far between they are. They feel like this is their year."

The Celtics won an NBA-best 66 games in the regular season, then needed seven games to put away the upstart Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Cleveland needed six games to dispatch the Washington Wizards in the first round, winning the clincher when James scored 27 with 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Celtics and Cavaliers split their four games this season, with James and Garnett each sitting one out. Both teams won both games at home — a bad sign for Cleveland, which would have to win at least one in Boston to advance.

Although they couldn't beat Boston, the Hawks did give the Cavaliers some hope.

"They kind of had that arrogance about them all season by winning so many games that you were kind of not wanting to face them," Cavaliers guard Devin Brown said after practice on Monday. "But after seeing what we saw, I think we're ready to go."

___

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this story from Independence, Ohio.

Suns allowing coach Mike D'Antoni to talk to other teams

The Phoenix Suns granted permission for coach Mike D'Antoni to talk to other teams, with the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks apparently the leading suitors.

General manager Steve Kerr confirmed Monday that D'Antoni can speak with other NBA teams about coaching vacancies but indicated he still wants to persuade the coach to stay with the Suns.

"As we continue to convey, we value Mike D'Antoni as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and would like him to continue leading this basketball team," Kerr said in a statement issued by the team. "Because he has requested to speak to other teams about their head coaching vacancies, we have granted him permission."

Kerr said he would have no further comment "until this process further evolves."

D'Antoni, reached by telephone, declined to comment.

"I really can't say anything," he said.

SI.com's Jack McCallum, who spent an entire season with the Suns while writing a book on them, reported Monday that the Bulls general manager John Paxson and Knicks president Donnie Walsh were flying to Phoenix to interview D'Antoni. Knicks' spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said the team is not commenting on its coaching search. Paxson had no comment.

Radio station KTAR in Phoenix first reported that D'Antoni was being allowed to speak to other teams.

The coach met Friday with Kerr and team owner Robert Sarver for two hours and there reportedly were more conversations over the weekend. Kerr has acknowledged some differences with D'Antoni but has repeatedly said he wants the coach to stay if the two sides can resolve the issues between them.

"It's been well documented we have some different ideas and different approaches," Kerr said the day after the season ended. "And what we have to do is talk and communicate and make sure we can get on the same page in terms of how this organization can get better, how this team can get better."

D'Antoni, who has two years worth $8.5 million remaining on his contract, has led the Suns to three Pacific Division titles and two trips to the Western Conference finals in his four full seasons as coach. He has compiled a 232-96 record, including 55-27 last season. But Phoenix has lost three times in the playoffs to San Antonio, including dropping a first-round series in five games to the Spurs this year.

The team had to adjust D'Antoni's full-tilt style to fit the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal, a process that was evolving at season's end. D'Antoni fully supported the trade that sent Shawn Marion to Miami for O'Neal because it was supposed to add interior toughness needed to get past the Spurs.

Instead, Phoenix blew one game, was soundly beaten at home and lost two more close ones against San Antonio. That left D'Antoni's situation in limbo and open to criticism about his short rotation, defensive philosophy and coaching staff.

Kerr, a close friend of Sarver and 15-year NBA veteran, was hired as general manager and vice president of basketball operations a year ago.

Kobe scores 38 as Lakers beat Jazz 109-98 in series opener

Kobe Bryant, celebrating what is expected to be his first NBA MVP award, did just enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to another postseason victory. Bryant had 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists Sunday, and the Lakers made it five straight playoff wins by beating the Utah Jazz 109-98 to begin the second round.

Game 2 will be played Wednesday night before the best-of-seven series shifts to Utah for Games 3 and 4. Word leaked late Friday that Bryant had won his first Most Valuable Player award and he expressed his joy on Saturday. The NBA has declined comment, but Bryant is expected to receive the MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern before Game 2.

The "MVP! MVP!" chants from the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center began before the opening tip, with the volume increasing significantly when Bryant was introduced with the other Los Angeles starters.

Bryant scored 24 points to help the Lakers take a 54-41 halftime lead, and although they were on top the rest of the way, there were some anxious moments down the stretch.

Pau Gasol added 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Lamar Odom had 16 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 45 seconds to play, and Sasha Vujacic scored 15 for the Lakers.

Forward Luke Walton, who shot 22-for-31 and averaged 14 points in the Lakers' sweep of Denver in the first round, played despite an upper respiratory infection and wasn't at his best, getting five points and three rebounds in 13 minutes.

Mehmet Okur had 21 points and a career playoff-high 19 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost despite outrebounding the Lakers 58-41. Carlos Boozer had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four assists before fouling out with 3:28 left, and Deron Williams added 14 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.

Hornets ready for series against playoff-tested Spurs

Tyson Chandler struggled with the idea that New Orleans could be favored in its second-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, even if the Hornets are the higher seed and have home-court advantage.

"I don't know if many players on this team consider themselves underdogs, but for some reason that's what we've been labeled as," Chandler said. "We're always going to be underdogs and we don't mind that. But people come around, it seems, when you start winning, so hopefully we can win some and get people to come around a little bit."

The young Hornets, in the postseason for the first time in four seasons, passed their opening playoff test impressively, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in only five games.

Only hours after the Hornets closed out Dallas, the Spurs disposed of the Phoenix Suns, also in five games.

Hornets coach Byron Scott said the Spurs appear to playing better now than during most of the regular season, when they finished second to the Hornets in the highly competitive Southwest Division, which had four 50-win teams.

"You can't really ever count them out," Scott said. "They understand what it takes to win."

The Spurs said they felt a little beat up coming out of their series with Phoenix.

Manu Ginobili complained of soreness in his left ankle. Tony Parker said he was starting to feel old and that the hot tub was his best friend.

Don't buy it. Parker won't turn 26 until later this month and is playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 29.6 points to go with 7.0 assists during the first round of the playoffs.

Ginobili averaged better than 18 points against Phoenix. Tim Duncan, meanwhile, exhibited his typical dominance inside, averaging 24.8 points and 13.8 rebounds.

"They're built around Duncan," Hornets forward David West said. "Everything they do is kind of predicated on him. And that's why they've won, been so good for so long, because they have a cornerstone and he's unselfish and defers to those other guys like Parker and Ginobili when it's needed."

The Hornets also have a cornerstone in third-year point guard Chris Paul, who can be pretty generous with the ball himself. He averaged more than 20 points and 10 assists this season and was even better in the first round, when he had 24.6 points and 12 assists per game.

West, who has flourished since the Hornets drafted Paul, averaged 22.6 points against the Mavs, routinely cashing in on open shots set up by the Hornets star guard.

"The easiest way to describe Chris is that he's an MVP candidate. And that means that he's done everything," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's taken it to the hole, he's made shots, he's made it easier for his teammates by assisting, he's played D. He's the leader of the team. Everything he does is difficult to handle."

Parker and defensive standout Bruce Bowen will have to handle Paul, and so far they've done so with mixed success this season. The Hornets and Spurs split their four regular-season games, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.

"I think he's going to score regardless and he's going to get his assists," Parker said. "We just have to focus on the other guys and try to slow the other guys down."

The Spurs also downplayed the experience factor, and not only because of how New Orleans stormed past Dallas. The Hornets also handed the Spurs two of their worst losses this season, winning in San Antonio by 24 points and later by 25 in New Orleans.

"These guys are a very good team. That's the bottom line," Duncan said. "They're a very confident squad. They've been taking this no-experience, underdog role, whatever they want to say, to push themselves. And that's great. We're coming in here, we're not worried about what experience they have or what they don't have. ... It's two basketball teams and you have to figure it out from there and we're going to do just that."

Scott said he's not sure the Hornets' earlier success over San Antonio will mean much in this series, but it certainly won't hurt.

"We know that we can play with them," Scott said. "Does it help? I don't know. But it lets us know that we are one of the better teams in the Western Conference. I think we've proven that in the first round, and they know that it's going to be a challenge as well. We've got a good young basketball team. We've got confidence that we can win the series."

QB Perrilloux tossed off LSU football team

Ryan Perrilloux seemed like a perfect fit for LSU.

The Louisiana native had the rocket arm, mobility and versatility to make him a constant big-play threat and one of the most sought-after quarterback prospects in the country. He even had the French last name.

In spurts as a backup or fill-in starter last season, the sophomore showed the potential to rise to stardom, winning MVP honors in the Tigers' Southeastern Conference championship game triumph over Tennessee.

His lack of discipline off the field, however, became an increasing distraction for head coach Les Miles, who finally decided Perrilloux's presence on the roster was more trouble than it was worth.

Perrilloux was kicked off the defending national championship team Friday after a college career marked by legal and disciplinary problems.

Perrilloux "didn't fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete," Miles said in a statement. "Ryan was given every opportunity to be a part of this football team."

Miles did not attribute his decision to any specific recent violation.

Still, it was clear Perrilloux's repeated breaking of team rules, and sometimes the law, made Miles worry whether it was worth keeping the talented heir-apparent to the starting job and risk another off-the-field distraction next season.

The timing of Miles' decision gives Perrilloux a chance to transfer to a lower-division program by next fall.

"We hope that a new beginning will benefit him," Miles said. "I wish Ryan and his family nothing but the best in any of his future endeavors."

The move also allows LSU to go into the summer without any lingering questions over whether Perrilloux, who was suspended during spring drills for missing team meetings and classes, would rejoin them when practice resumed in August and behave like a leader thereafter.

A backup to Matt Flynn last season, Perrilloux showed glimpses of great promise, drilling receivers downfield or punishing tacklers while running the option.

He played sparingly in LSU's victory over Ohio State for the national title. But the starting job for this coming season appeared to be his, provided he could avoid trouble off the field.

Perrilloux's lawyer, Nathan Fisher, declined to comment Friday. Reached at her home in LaPlace, Perrilloux's mother, Bobbie Breaux, said she and her son preferred not to discuss the matter publicly at this time but may do so later.

The quarterback is expected to finish the spring semester, LSU officials said. He must do so to remain eligible to play next season if he transfers.

Perrilloux also was suspended last summer, when he was on the fringe of a counterfeiting investigation and was caught trying to enter a Baton Rouge casino with false identification.

After being reinstated in August and playing well in the early fall, he was involved in a nightclub fight in November, causing him to miss a game at Alabama. He was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Miles again suspended Perrilloux, whose father died Feb. 7, in mid-February after he missed a team meeting, skipped some classes and was late for conditioning workouts.

Perrilloux had to meet academic requirements and do extra conditioning before he was reinstated April 6, in time to go with the Tigers to meet President Bush at the White House. Perrilloux was not allowed to play in LSU's spring game.

During the spring, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and junior Andrew Hatch, a transfer from Harvard, split time as the quarterback of the Tigers and now will enter next season as the leading candidates for the starting job.

Appearing in 12 of LSU's 14 games last season with two starts, Perrilloux completed 51 of 75 passes (68 percent) for 694 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Perrilloux also rushed 50 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Perrilloux's second start came in the SEC championship game, when Flynn was too hurt to play. Perrilloux completed 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown in a 21-14 victory.

Perrilloux was widely considered the nation's most coveted quarterback recruit when he played at East St. John High School in Louisiana.

His former coach at East St. John, Larry Dauterive, said he had not heard from his former player but had taken more than a dozen calls from Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) programs hoping to land Perrilloux as a transfer.

"I want to see him surface. I want to see him get on the field because he's such a talented athlete," Dauterive said. "I've been doing this 39 years and I've never seen anybody do with a football what he can do. I don't know if his priorities are screwed up or what. He's the best athlete I've ever been around — ever."

Dauterive said he never had a problem with Perrilloux and is "flabbergasted" by the troubles he's had in college.

"He's a phenom," Dauterive said. "And to throw that away, it's mind-boggling to me. I just hope he comes to his senses."

Pistons take out Sixers in 6 games; Magic up next

Close for four games, no contest the last two. Richard Hamilton hit his first five shots during Detroit's overpowering start, and the Pistons rolled into the second round of the playoffs by crushing the Philadelphia 76ers 100-77 on Thursday night to win the series 4-2.

The Pistons convincingly won the last two games of a series that wasn't expected to last this long and will host the Orlando Magic, who eliminated Toronto in five games, on Saturday in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Detroit split four meetings with the Southeast Division champions this season.

Hamilton finished with 24 points, 13 in the decisive first quarter when he outscored the 76ers by himself. Chauncey Billups added 20 and Tayshaun Prince had 12 for the Pistons, who reached the second round for the seventh straight season.

They were all on the bench for nearly the entire fourth quarter, when the lead ballooned over 30 points. Detroit held Philadelphia without a field goal for nearly the first 6 minutes of the game, ending any real hopes the Sixers' had of forcing a Game 7 back in Michigan.

Andre Iguodala scored 16 points and Andre Miller had another quiet game with 11 for the Sixers, who outplayed the heavily favored Pistons for the first 3 1/2 games of the series but never really had a chance after that.

The second-seeded Pistons won 59 games during the regular season, second-best in the NBA behind Boston. But they quickly found themselves trailing the upstart 76ers, who were just 40-42, 2-1 then fell behind by 10 points at halftime of Game 4.

Detroit rallied to win that game, then trailed for only 23 seconds over the final two mismatches. As easy as the Pistons' 98-81 victory in Game 5 was, they had even less trouble in this one, racing to a 10-0 lead and never giving the disappointing crowd of 14,130 a chance to get into the game.

Players took the court to music and a clip from "Rocky III" in which Apollo Creed tells Philadelphia's favorite movie hero that, "There is no tomorrow!"

It took just minutes to realize that for the Sixers, there wouldn't be.

The score was quickly Hamilton 7, Philadelphia 0, with the Sixers' sloppy start including an errant pass from Iguodala that struck Samuel Dalembert right upside his recently mohawked head for a turnover, followed a minute later by Thaddeus Young throwing up a 25-footer from 23 feet.

By the time Miller made Philadelphia's first field goal with 6:13 left in the period, that only cut Detroit's lead to 16-5. The Pistons shot 69 percent in the quarter, opening a 30-12 lead.

A Philadelphia flurry early in the second cut it to 12, but the Pistons regained control when their starters returned and were ahead 51-33 when Billups hit a jumper at the halftime buzzer.

Fans booed as the Sixers walked off the court trailing 79-51 after three, but this should go down as a good season for a team that was widely expected to finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia was 18-30 in early February but closed with 22 wins in its last 34 games, then rallied from 15 points down in Game 1 to stun the Pistons at Detroit.

The few fans that were left gave the Sixers a standing ovation in the final minute and again after the game.

Notes:@ The 76ers fell to 10-1 in first-round series since 1975 when winning Game 1. ... The Pistons have ended the Sixers' last three trips to the postseason. Detroit eliminated them in both 2003 and '05. ... Even the Sixers' public address announcer had a rough night. When Jason Smith checked in late in the third quarter, he was announced as Jason Williams.