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LAst Night's Action: Clippers Offense Continues to Stumble Along
The Clippers think they can. AP Photo/Hector Mata
San Antonio Spurs defeat LA Clippers 86-83. As unwatchable as this game was at least it was more interesting than Monday Night Football. Basically the game was like this: bad team A plays bad team B. Bad team B ties the game very late in the game but gives up a 3-pointer to bad team A with eight seconds left to go. Bad team B loses. Before Roger Mason made that three for the Spurs, the last time the Spurs scored was with 5:20 left to go in the fourth quarter. Both offenses are horrible. Fortunately for the Spurs Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli come back next month.
Notable Notes
- The baseball writers got it right! They voted St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols as the NL MVP. Pujols hit .357 with 37 homers and and 116 RBIs this season for the fourth place Cardinals. Perhaps most amazing is the fact that he did with with a sore right elbow that required surgery. Pujols also won the MVP in 2005. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard came in second despite hitting like Andruw Jones the first several months of the season. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun came in third with Manny Ramirez and Houston's Lance Berkman rounding up the top five.
Former Cal basketball coach and John Wooden nemesis Pete Newell died yesterday at the age of 93. Newell coached San Francisco, Michigan State and California for only 14 years compiling a 234-132 including an 8-0 record in his final eight games against the Wooden led UCLA Bruins. During his tenure at Cal he captured four conference titles, two Final Four appearances and the National Championship in 1959. Newell's last game as a head coach was leading the 1960 US basketball team to the gold medal. He was forced to retire at the age of 44 by doctors who thought his diet of coffee and cigarettes during the season was not healthy. Newell then founded "big men" camps where he guided the likes of Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Ralph Sampson and Shaquille O'Neal. Coincidentally he was the general manager of the Lakers who orchestrated the trade to bring Abdul-Jabbar to LA from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Newell has left an indelible mark in the basketball world and will be missed.
Tonight's Action
Chicago Bulls at LA Lakers. After looking soft against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, look for the Lakers to redeem themselves and beat up the Bulls. 7:30 pm FSN West, AM 570 KLAC.
New Mexico State Aggies at #19 USC Trojans. The Trojans continue to prepare for the tough games against the Aggies at Galen Center. 6:00 pm AM 710 KSPN.
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