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KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL Lakers need Bynum and Odom’s help
Injury, inconsistency continue to plague front-court tandem
by Michael Lee
boston — The NBA Finals are tied at two games apiece, but these are uneasy times for the Los Angeles Lakers, with apprehen- sion over Andrew Bynum’s un- steady right knee outweighed by worries over Lamar Odom’s un- steady play. The Lakers are a bet- ter team with a healthy Bynum dominating inside and/or if an as- sertive Odom is showcasing his wide-ranging skill set, but expect- ing either one — or both — when facing the Boston Celtics in the Finals has been unwise. Bynum was absent with a frac- tured left kneecap two years ago, leaving Odom exposed for abuse from Kevin Garnett. And when complications from a torn me- niscus in his right knee forced the 7-foot Bynum to sit for all but two minutes in the second half of Game 4 on Thursday, Odom got outplayed, surprisingly, by Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Bynum had fluid drained from his knee late Thursday night, the second time in as many weeks that he has had the procedure done, so that he could be avail- able for Game 5 on Sunday. But while the condition of Bynum’s knee is a concern, Odom remains a conundrum. Odom will likely see more time if Bynum proves to be ineffective or immobile, but he has been ada- mant that the Lakers will have to compensate “as a team. I’m not going to put it on my shoulders to win or lose the game.” The Lakers’ versatile, 6-foot-10 sixth man, Odom has always pos- sessed front-line talent but a def- erential mind-set that allows him to find comfort as a third or fourth option. He can also be maddeningly inconsistent, ap- pearing and disappearing, and has had difficulty finding his way against Boston. Odom is averaging just 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, contrib- uting around half of what he pro- duced in the Western Conference finals, when he averaged 14.1
blocked shots in only 12 minutes in Game 4. The 22-year-old Bynum had an
MRI exam on Friday in Boston that showed no further damage than the torn cartilage he suf- fered six weeks ago. “His mind is made up, so we
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES
Boston’s Glen Davis puts up a shot between Lakers Andrew Bynum, rear, and Lamar Odom, who have struggled in the NBA Finals.
points and 11.8 rebounds. When asked what can be done to jump- start Odom — a question he has received many times over the past five seasons — Lakers Coach Phil Jackson jokingly said, “I was thinking of an electrode, you know.” Upon hearing those comments, Odom fell silent and looked around blankly for five seconds, a response that could have been in- terpreted as either he didn’t find Jackson funny or was actually in search of a stimulus. “I’ll be all right. The best thing about the playoffs, a good or bad game, we still have a game in front of us,” Odom said, adding that he understands the differ- ence his inspired play has on the team. “A huge difference, because I bring so many different things to the table. How we play, it seems like the energy picks up. I’m go- ing to do my part in this next
game. I’m looking forward to get- ting out there, playing.” Odom collected 10 fouls and just eight points in the first two games, but bounced back with 12 points — on 5-for-5 shooting — in the Lakers’ win in Game 3. He had 10 points and seven rebounds in the 96-89 loss in Game 4, but the Celtics had no fear about driv- ing inside or pounding the offen- sive glass with Bynum sidelined. “Lamar struggled two years
ago in this matchup, and he has to break through kind of, that mental gap that he had from that experience,” Jackson said. Missing out on the Finals two years ago is the primary reason that Bynum is playing with his in- jury. He averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots in the first three games of the Finals — including 21 points and seven blocks in Game 2 — but had two points, three rebounds and no
have to watch that,” Lakers Gen- eral Manager Mitch Kupchak said about Bynum’s determination to play. “There are no guarantees — anything can happen on the bas- ketball court. But it is our under- standing that this is something — provided it doesn’t get worse — that he can play with until it gets addressed in the offseason. It should not impact training camp next year.” With two days to rest between the games, Bynum said he hopes that his knee can respond well to the pounding. “The pain is the thing that’s easy for me to play with. It’s just pain. The swelling, the other muscles around it get tired and they just don’t fire. That was real- ly the issue: being able to hold your position,” Bynum said. “I’m going to go out and play, and play very hard. I have to give every- thing to get that game. It’s going to change the whole series, one way or another.” The Lakers certainly need him on the floor to provide a deterrent for the Celtics defensively and take some pressure off Odom and Pau Gasol, who was forced to log a game-high 44 minutes on Thursday. “I think he’s been a factor when
he’s out there,” Gasol said. “For myself, you could say that it also helps me to have him there, just because of his presence, and his length, his size, rebounding, de- fending.”
Odom said the Lakers are
ready, no matter which version of Bynum they get.
“Our team is prepared for situ-
ations like this. Injuries are some- thing that we’ve had to play through,” Odom said. “Andrew’s been hurt before and we under- stand what we have to do to still be competitive and still play at a championship level without him. Of course, we still would love him to be there and to be a 100 per- cent healthy, but that’s not the case.”
leem@washpost.com All 10 Mystics players score in rout of Liberty dictated. by Katie Carrera
With time winding down in the third quarter Saturday night, the Washington Mystics left no doubt who controlled this game. Al- ready holding a double-digit lead over the New York Liberty for most of the second half, the Mys- tics provided a knock out blow when Lindsey Harding and Ma- rissa Coleman hit three-pointers 25 seconds apart with less than two minutes remaining in the pe- riod. The Mystics entered the fourth
quarter in possession of a daunt- ing 20-point advantage that they converted into a dominant 82-65 win over the Liberty in front of 8,492 at Verizon Center. For the second time in as many nights, Washington discovered its killer instinct and refused to let an op- ponent back in a contest that it
Winners of three of their last four outings, the Mystics (6-4), who are perfect in back-to-back games this year, never let New York (4-5) lead. Small forward Monique Currie, who led Wash- ington with 20 points, tallied eight of the team’s first 10 points, to help establish a 23-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. It is the fifth time this season Currie posted over 20 points in a game and the seventh game in which she’s scored 18 or more. Unlike other games this season though, the Mystics offense was not one-dimensional. Four differ- ent players — Currie, Crystal Langhorne (13), Lindsey Harding (13) and Matee Ajavon (11) — posted totals in double digits but more impressive was that each of the Mystics’ 10 players scored in the victory, marking the first time the team has done so during the
2010 season. Along with the well- balanced scoring output nine Mystics saw at least 11 minutes of playing time and none received fewer than six. Never did Washington exhibit
any signs of exhaustion from their 95-78 win over Chicago Fri- day, and after their fast start the Mystics continued to attack the Liberty, who committed 21 turn- overs in the game including 14 in the first half alone. “I don’t think [the fatigue] will be too bad,” Langhorne said be- fore the game. The third-year for- ward led all players on the glass with nine rebounds against New York. “I think our coach played our bench well [against Chicago]. New York also played Friday so both teams were in the same situ- ation.” Washington’s relentlessness seemed to demoralize New York because any time the Liberty
started to rally with bursts from Cappie Pondexter (20 points) or three-pointers (7 of 15) from a multitude of players the Mystics answered back. Heading into the weekend al- ready a quarter of the way through the 34-game regular sea- son, Washington averaged 75 points per game, a half point bet- ter than their opponents’ collec- tive average. In this pair of wins over East- ern Conference rivals Chicago (4-6) and New York though, the Mystics offense looked effortless and efficient as it blazed past both marks. Washington also recorded a
new season low in turnovers, coughing up the ball only eight times against the Liberty as op- posed to their previous mark of 10 in a 81-75 loss to Los Angeles on May 28.
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only from Comcast. COLLEGES
Texas is ‘looking at all options’ Texas Athletic Director De-
Loss Dodds has said he wants to keep the Big 12 Conference to- gether, but the school is “looking at all options,” Dodds said Satur- day before the Texas-Texas Chris- tian baseball game. The Long- horns are considered the key to the league’s survival, particularly after it lost Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pacific-10) in a matter of two days this week. The Texas regents have sched- uled a meeting Tuesday for “dis- cussion and appropriate action regarding athletic conference membership.” An official at a Big 12 school, who requested ano- nymity because he was not au- thorized to speak publicly on the discussions, confirmed that Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott was traveling to Texas and Oklahoma to present a case for Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to join the Pac-10. Texas would need the regents’
approval to change leagues. Texas Tech also has scheduled a regents meeting Tuesday. Texas A&M, which is reported to be considering a move to the Southeastern Conference, has not scheduled a regents meeting. The possible breakup of the
Big 12, and the prospect of Baylor and Texas A&M not joining Texas in a new league, are causing some alarm at the Texas Capitol. The House Higher Education Com- mittee has scheduled a Wednes- day meeting “to discuss matters pertaining to higher education, including collegiate athletics.” . . . For the second straight year,
Texas A&M won the men’s and women’s team titles at the NCAA outdoor track and field champi- onships at Hayward Field in Eu- gene, Ore. The Aggies men finished with 55 points, followed by Florida with 54 and host Oregon with 45. The women finished with 72 points, followed by Oregon with 57 and Florida with 40. The crowd was treated to a
rare 1-2-3 finish in the 1,500 me- ters. Andrew Wheating pulled out front in the final 10 meters followed by Oregon teammates A.J. Acosta and Matthew Cen- trowitz (Broadneck). Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison, who won the 400-meter hurdles on Friday, won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.67 seconds.
GOLF Robert Garrigus shot a 4-un- der-par 66 to break out of a pack
and grab a two-stroke lead over Robert Karlsson of Sweden after three rounds of the St. Jude Clas- sic in Memphis, Tenn. The 32-year-old Garrigus
surged to the top of the leader board with four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys to reach 11-under 199. Lee Westwood had led or had
a share of the lead after the first two rounds. He had four bogeys and finished with a 71 that left him tied with Heath Slocum (66) at 8 under. . . . The third round of the LPGA
State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill., was postponed because of thunderstorms. Heavy rain sus- pended play for four hours before the round was halted with 46 players still on the course. The round is scheduled to resume Sunday morning, but rain is ex- pected again. Second-round lead- er M.J. Hur and Cristie Kerr sit atop the leaderboard at 13 under. ...
matches at the Curtis Cup to take an 81
The United States swept all six ⁄2
-31 ⁄2 lead over Great Britain
and Ireland in Manchester-by- the-Sea, Mass. The Curtis Cup pits teams of eight female ama- teur golfers from the United States against a team from Great Britain and Ireland. The U.S. has won six straight matches and needs to reach 10 points to retain the cup.
MISC. Roger Federer won his 29th
consecutive match at the Gerry Weber Open, beating Germany’s Philipp Petzschner, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, to reach the final in Halle, Germany. Federer will go for his sixth title in this event against Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Ger- many’s Benjamin Becker, 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. . . . Maria Sharapova beat Amer- ican qualifier Alison Riske, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, to advance to the final of the grass-court Aegon Classic in Birmingham, England, against Li Na. Top-seeded Li beat fourth- seeded Aravane Rezai of France, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, in the other semifi- nal to return to the final for a sec- ond straight year. . . . Americans Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish will meet in the final at Queen’s Club in London after contrasting wins. The seventh-seeded Querrey reached his fourth final of the season by outlasting Rainer Schuettler of Germany, 6-7 (11-9), 7-5, 6-3. Fish upset eighth- seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. . . . Aric Almirola took the lead with less than 10 laps to go, then held off late charges from Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch to win the NASCAR Trucks Series race at Michigan International Speed- way in Brooklyn, Mich. — From news services
SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 COLLEGES
Hultzen returns to form in U-Va. win
by Zach Berman
charlottesville — Danny Hultzen marched from the Vir- ginia dugout to the Davenport Field pitcher’s mound for the eighth inning of Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Oklahoma, em- boldened by a lead and extend- ed deeper than he has pitched in his past four starts, having thrown more pitches than any Cavaliers starter all season. “Everybody out there was wondering when we would see the old Danny back,” Coach Bri- an O’Connor said. “He was back tonight.”
With a dominant perform- ance from Hultzen, who al- lowed two earned runs in eight innings while striking out nine, Virginia took the first game of the best-of-three super regional and drew within one win of clinching its second consecu- tive College World Series bid. The win halted a string of sub-par starts — at least by Hultzen’s standards. He did not last past the sixth inning in his last four starts and started to al- low walks at an abnormally fre- quent rate. The Cavaliers won each of those four games, which Hult- zen and O’Connor mention when asked about Hultzen’s struggles. But the St. Albans al- um is the staff ace and ACC pitcher of the year. His first three months set expectations near Strasburgian levels. “Had he thrown like he had the last three or four weeks,” O’Connor said, “we probably wouldn’t have won the ball- game.”
O’Connor said Hultzen’s is- sue has been more physical than mental. O’Connor empha- sized that Hultzen should relax and not try to make many ad- justments from pitch to pitch. Pitching coach Karl Kuhn also
spent the week working with Hultzen on mechanical adjust- ments.
Because Hultzen was trying to do too much, Kuhn said Hult- zen’s landing point was off. The two rectified Hultzen’s posture when he pitches, which made the difference with his timing. “I guess I just got ahead of the
hitters, threw a lot more strikes [and] was ahead of the count more often than the other starts,” Hultzen said. Kuhn said he tries not to ex- tend pitchers past 100 pitches, and no Virginia pitcher has thrown more than 120 pitches this season. Hultzen threw 130 pitches and went out for the eighth inning at 112. Kuhn add- ed that the way the staff has preserved its arms throughout the season will allow Virginia to extend at this time of year. After Dan Grovatt hit a two- run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Cav- aliers’ the 3-2 lead, Oklahoma Coach Sunny Galloway noticed Hultzen had a second life. Hult- zen struck out the first two bat- ters he faced in the seventh in- ning and retired all six batters he faced followed Grovatt’s ho- mer. It would have been hard for
the Cavaliers to become a seri- ous threat at the College World Series — much less this week- end — if their ace was not sharp. With that problem solved, a team already ranked No. 1 by two national polls appears even stronger entering college base- ball’s most crucial weeks. “It took the way he had thrown the ball the majority of the season for us to win this game,” O’Connor said. “But now, if we’re fortunate enough to win another game this week- end, I feel pretty good about Danny Hultzen moving for- ward.”
bermanz@washpost.com PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
Westbrook: Redskins are ‘definitely’ a possibility
by Jorge Castillo
marlton, n.j. — An already crowded Washington Redskins backfield may add another Pro Bowl ballcarrier in the very near future.
At former teammate Dono-
van McNabb’s annual football clinic for children on Saturday, free agent running back Brian Westbrook acknowledged that joining the Redskins is defi- nitely a possibility. “I liked Coach Shanahan when I went in there and vis- ited,” Westbrook said. “I think it would be a great opportunity and fit for me. It would just have to make sense financially as well. So that’s where we’re at right now.” Asked later if having his
younger brother Byron and good friend McNabb on the ros- ter gave the Redskins an edge in the sweepstakes, the Pro Bowl-
er answered “yeah, definitely,” adding that playing near where he grew up would also be a great opportunity. Westbrook, a DeMatha graduate, confirmed that the Redskins’ offer is still on the table and that other teams are still interested. “Right now I’m just talking it over with my agent and trying to make sure that we find the best fit for me,” he said. “Several teams are interested. We’ve been talking back and forth with several teams.” Westbrook drove up to the
Marlton clinic with his brother, and worked with children at one of the stations with current Redskins running back Clinton Portis and former Eagles team- mate Leonard Weaver. “Anytime you can come out here to support Donovan, it’s a great opportunity for me,” Westbrook said. “I enjoy being out here with the kids.”
castilloj@washpost.com
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