NBA: Favored Spurs won't underestimate Cavaliers

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- LeBron James may be the star of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the San Antonio Spurs know better than to ignore the other four players on the court.

"They wouldn't be in the finals without LeBron, we wouldn't be in the finals without Tim Duncan," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday. "That goes without saying. But they still would not be in the finals, nor would we, if we didn't each have our supporting casts. Everybody else has to fit."

San Antonio was 0-2 against Cleveland during the regular season. The Spurs lost their home opener to the Cavs, plus their January matchup in Cleveland, where the NBA finals will arrive for the first time later this month.

The Spurs held James to 19 points in the second meeting, but the Cavs put three other players in double figures in their 82-78 victory. Two other players scored eight points.

"We lost to them twice this season. They've been playing great," Duncan said. "They're on a high right now, playing with a lot of confidence. And they're going to be a tough opponent. We're going to have to really come out and shake this rust off quick this first game and really try to jump on them."

After beating the Utah Jazz in five games for the Western Conference championship, the Spurs will have had a full week off by Thursday's start to the NBA finals in San Antonio.

Cleveland wrapped up the Eastern Conference championship on Saturday in Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons. James scored 20 points in that game, but it was rookie Daniel Gibson's 31-point performance that stole the show.

NBA: Jordan praises James ahead of NBA finals

CHICAGO (AP) -- His Airness is paying tribute to the kid called King James.
Michael Jordan praised 22-year-old LeBron James for leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers advanced to the finals for the first time in their 37-year history.
"What just transpired was something I felt was needed for the league, was needed for Cleveland, was needed for LeBron," Jordan said in Monday editions of the Chicago Tribune.

James dominated Game 5 against Detroit, scoring Cleveland's final 25 points in the win. The Cavaliers became just the third team to overcome an 0-2 deficit to win the conference finals.

Jordan, who won six NBA championships during his 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, said the next challenge for James is to achieve consistency.

PGA Tour: Choi moves to No. 17 in world rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After winning the Memorial on Sunday, K.J. Choi climbed 15 places to No. 17 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking.

The only change to the top 10 came in the last position, with Padraig Harrington moving past Retief Goosen and into the 10th spot.

No. 1 Tiger Woods was followed again by Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Henrik Stenson, Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald.

Harrington and Goosen were trailed by No. 12 Sergio Garcia.

Rory Sabbatini moved up to 13th, dropping Masters winner Zach Johnson to 14th, while Trevor Immelman and Paul Casey remained 15th and 16th.

Choi was followed in the No. 17 position by Stewart Cink, who remained 18th, and Justin Rose, who dipped two places to 19th. Charles Howell III fell one spot to round out of the top 20.

MLB: Clemens has scar tissue injury, but still hopeful for Saturday

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Roger Clemens has been diagnosed with a scar tissue injury in his right groin, although the Yankees are still hoping the seven-time CY Young Award winner will make his first start of the season on Saturday in the Bronx against Pittsburgh.

An MRI showed the disrupted scar tissue in Clemens, who was supposed to make his return to the majors Monday night against the White Sox, but he was scratched over the weekend in favor of Matt DeSalvo.

Clemens, who the Yankees signed to a prorated $28 million contract on May 6, pitched in three minor league starts, most recently on Memorial Day for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was in that outing against Toledo that Clemens is believed to have suffered his groin muscle injury.

New York was hoping that Clemens would be able to help the team make a major turnaround this season. The Yankees are 24-30, 12 1/2 games behind the first- place Red Sox in the AL East.

Clemens spent the past three seasons with the Houston Astros after his first retirement following the 2003 campaign with New York. He pitched with the Yankees from 1999 through 2003, winning a pair of World Series titles during his five years with the club.

LPGA: Castrale up to No. 22 in world rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Nicole Castrale defeated Lorena Ochoa in a playoff Sunday to win the Ginn Tribute and moved up 20 places to No. 22 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf.

Ochoa remained No. 1, trailed again by Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Morgan Pressel.

Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr moved up one spot apiece to fifth and sixth, respectively, dropping Juli Inkster two places to No. 7.

Ai Miyazato, Se-Ri Pak, Mi Hyun Kim, Jeong Jang, Suzann Pettersen, Brittany Lincicome and Shiho Oyama remained in places 8-14.

Yuri Fudoh was up two spots to No. 15, dropping Stacy Prammanasudh and Jee Young Lee to 16th and 17th. Behind them, Ji-Yai Shin moved up three places to No. 18, Mi-Jeong Jeon was down one spot to No. 19, and Pat Hurst rounded out the top 20 again.

WNBA: Sun hold off Mercury

Uncasville, CT (Sports Network) - Asjha Jones scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Connecticut Sun held off the Phoenix Mercury, 76-67, at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Katie Douglas and Nykesha Sales each scored 18 points, while Douglas had a team-high nine rebounds and five assists for the Sun, who held Phoenix to 36.2 percent shooting and won the rebounding battle, 47-38.

Tangela Smith, acquired in an offseason trade with Minnesota, scored 18 points and Cappie Pondexter contributed 14 for the Mercury, who were looking to match their best start in nine years.

IRL: Castroneves on top at Milwaukee

West Allis, WI (Sports Network) - Helio Castroneves captured the pole for Sunday's ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt Indy 225 at the historic Milwaukee Mile. The No.3 Penske Racing Honda circled the flat one-mile oval in 21.3596 seconds (171.071 m.p.h.).
The pole win was Castroneves' fourth of the season and 21st of his IndyCar career.
"Another great effort from Team Penske," said Castroneves. "The car was awesome. We were able to manage the changing conditions and I'm extremely happy."
Starting on the front row with Castroneves will be points leader Scott Dixon who posted a time of 21.5873 seconds.
Tony Kanaan (21.6011) and Dan Wheldon (21.6089) will be in the second row.
Having just completed their most prestigious race of the year at Indianapolis, the IndyCar Series continues on, though with much less fanfare. At Milwaukee they will race in front of 45,000 fans instead of 450,000 and first prize will be worth in the neighborhood of $125,000 instead of $1,645,233 for the "500."
But in the championship race, a win on the flat oval of Milwaukee is worth the same as Dario Franchitti's historic win at Indy. The newly crowned Indianapolis 500 champion struggled in qualifying and will start 10th.
The win at Indy brought Franchitti (181 points) to within three points of Dixon (184), the series points leader. Dixon was the runner-up at Indianapolis. Between Dixon and Franchitti is Dixon's Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Wheldon just one point behind the leader. Castroneves (-13), Kanaan (-33) and defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr. (-33) are all within striking distance.
Kanaan won last year's race at Milwaukee crossing the finish line a solid 1.8276-seconds ahead of Hornish Jr.
The race is scheduled to drop the green flag at 4 p.m. (et).

MLB: Mets rout Diamondbacks

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Ruben Gotay was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer to lead New York past Arizona, 7-1, in the second of a three-game series at Shea Stadium.
Jorge Sosa (5-1) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning four and walking one.
Jose Reyes had two hits and an RBI, Carlos Delgado had a double and a home run, and Ramon Castro had two hits and scored once for the Mets, who have won two of three. Ben Johnson and David Newhan drove in runs.
Livan Hernandez (5-3) gave up eight hits and three runs over six innings, striking out two and walking two in the loss.
Eric Byrnes extended his hit streak to 10 games with a solo home run for the D-Backs, who saw their eight-game win streak halted.
Byrnes' ninth homer of the season put Arizona on the board in the third.
Delgado's leadoff blast in the fourth tied the game, and the Mets picked up two more runs in the inning on Newhan's RBI single and Johnson's sacrifice fly.
The Mets boosted their lead to 6-1 in the seventh on Gotay's three-run homer with two outs. David Wright started off the inning with a one-out walk followed by Delgado's double.
Reyes added another run on an RBI triple in the eighth to cap the scoring.

PGA Tour: Stanford wins NCAA golf crown

Williamsburg, VA (Sports Network) - The Stanford University men's golf team rolled to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship title on Saturday at the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course.
The Cardinal finished at 11-under-par 1109, which was good for an eye-opening, 12-shot victory over the University of Georgia.
Stanford, the alma mater of world No. 1 Tiger Woods, teamed for a one-over 281 in the final round to win its first NCAA Championship since 1994.
In this tournament, the scores of the top-four players for each school count. Stanford's scores were accounted for by Joseph Bramlett (69), Daniel Lim (69), Rob Grube (70) and Zack Miller (73).
"It really hasn't hit home," said Miller, a senior. "This was a great course that set up perfect for us. Everyone is really elated."
The Georgia Bulldogs combined for a one-over 281 on Saturday and finished in second at one-over-par 1121.
Lamar University shot a five-under 275 on Saturday to tie for third place with Charlotte, which struggled to a seven-over 287 in round four. The two schools came in at plus-five.
Jamie Lovemark of Southern California fired a final-round, six-under 64 to win the Individual title at nine-under-par 271.
Kyle Stanley of Clemson and Grube shared the overnight lead, but were passed by Lovemark. Stanley shot a one-under 69 for second at minus-seven, while Grube's 70 left him in third at six-under-par 274.
Last year's individual champion, Jonathan Moore of Oklahoma State, tied for 64th at plus-12.

LPGA Tour: Ochoa maintains lead in Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant, SC (Sports Network) - Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, bogeyed three of her last six holes Saturday, but still shot a two-under 70 and maintained her three-shot lead after 54 holes of the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika.
Ochoa finished three rounds at 11-under-par 205 and is ahead of Nicole Castrale, who shot a four-under 68 to come in at minus-eight.
LPGA Tour rookie Angela Park (71) and tour star Cristie Kerr (67) are knotted in third place at seven-under-par 209. Angela Stanford posted a one-under 71 and is alone in fifth place at minus-five.
Tournament host Annika Sorenstam, playing for the first time in weeks due to an injured neck and back, struggled to a two-over 74 on Saturday and is part of a group tied for 28th place at plus-one.
Sorenstam traded a bogey and a birdie over her first two holes, then parred her next six. She bogeyed nine and bogeyed 15 to have virtually no chance of winning her own event in her return to the tour.
Ochoa, already a two-time winner this season, supplanted Sorenstam atop the Rolex Rankings while the Swede was gone. On Saturday, she also bogeyed the first, but recorded three birdies on her front nine.
She eagled the par-five ninth to reach 13-under par for the championship.
Ochoa birdied the par-four 12th and seemed to be in complete control of the tournament. Unfortunately, the Mexican star bogeyed 13, 16 and 17 to bring others back into the tournament.
Castrale was flawless on her round with five birdies over the first 17 holes. She bogeyed the last to give Ochoa a three-shot cushion.
Paula Creamer (73) and Sarah Lee (70) share sixth place at four-under-par 212.
Becky Morgan (68), Meaghan Francella (66), Mi Hyun Kim (69) and Karin Sjodin (71) are knotted in eighth place at minus-three.

NHL: Ducks' Kunitz cleared to play for Game 3

OTTAWA (AP) -- Anaheim Ducks forward Chris Kunitz has been cleared to play three weeks after breaking a bone in his right hand and could return Saturday for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals.

Kunitz, part of the team's top line, would provide an added boost to a Ducks team leading Ottawa 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Coach Randy Carlyle said it will be decided at game-time if Kunitz will play.

"The last question we asked the doctor is that, 'If this was your son, would you allow him to play?' And the answer, obviously, was yes," Carlyle said. The coach's only concern is Kunitz's conditioning.

Kunitz, a gritty left wing, had a goal and five assists in 11 games playing alongside Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald. He has missed seven games since being hurt May 11 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Detroit.

Kunitz has been skating with the team since at least Tuesday, and said he felt good after practice Saturday morning.

"It's going to be a little tight, but nothing I can't work through," Kunitz said. "I'll probably be thrown into the fire because it's such a high level right now. It's going to be exciting to see. Hopefully, I'm in."

The team had all but ruled him out from the playoffs after he was hurt.

"It's been painful watching," Kunitz said. "It's a great relief that I might have a chance now."

Selanne was pleased to hear the news.

ATP: Nadal, Djokovic reach round of 16 in Paris

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal and rising Serbian Novak Djokovic highlighted Saturday's third-round winners at the French Open.

The second-seeded Nadal blitzed fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 for his 17th straight victory at Roland Garros. Nadal topped Roger Federer in last year's French finale.

A sloppy Montanes piled up 73 unforced errors and 13 double faults on Saturday. Nadal held his serve throughout the match, while the overmatched Montanes was broken six-of-12 times.

Nadal has won 84 of his last 85 matches on red clay. He's trying to become the first man to win three straight French Opens since the great Bjorn Borg won four in a row from 1978-81.

The sixth-seeded Djokovic battled heavy French crowd favorite Olivier Patience, and himself, on Day 7. The talented Serb was already trailing two- sets-to-one when he was pushed into a fourth-set tiebreak.

Djokovic fought his way past Patience in the tiebreak before ultimately prevailing in the fifth set for a 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 decision on a sunny day in Paris. The Serb star, broken fives times in the entertaining match, needed just over four hours to advance.

The 20-year-old Djokovic captured a Masters Series event in Miami earlier this season.

European PGA Tour: Dredge a co-leader in his native Wales

Newport, Wales (Sports Network) - There's probably a few things Bradley Dredge would like to accomplish that Padraig Harrington already has.Sunday, he'll be concentrating on just one.
"I really want to win this," Dredge said Saturday after shooting a four-under 65 to claim a share of the lead heading into the final round of the Wales Open.
Two weeks ago, Harrington became the first Irishman in 25 years to win the Irish Open when he beat Dredge in a playoff. If Dredge pulls through this week, he would become the first Welshman to win his national championship in its eight-year history.
He is tied with Germany's Martin Kaymer at 10-under 197.
"Padraig said after beating me that, after the majors, your home open is the one you want to win the most," said Dredge, "and he hit the nail right on the head. You always want to win your national title."
Dredge came into the tournament as the highest-ranked Welshman in the world at No. 66, but with so many top European players in the field, the two-time tour winner was hardly a favorite.
After opening with back-to-back 66s in the first two rounds, he posted six birdies and two bogeys for his 65 on Saturday and earned a share of the lead only after Kaymer closed with two straight bogeys.
Kaymer, a 22-year-old rookie, matched Dredge's 65 in the third round. Before his two-hole meltdown, he had been bogey-free since the first round.

Auto Racing: Hamlin on pole for Dover 200

Dover, DE (Sports Network) - Nextel Cup driver Denny Hamlin earned the pole for this afternoon's Dover 200 at the Dover International Speedway. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the one mile "Monster Mile" in 23.443 seconds (153.561 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Hamlin's third in the last four races and ninth of his Busch career.

Starting alongside Hamlin will be Scott Wimmer who posted a second-best time of 23.534 seconds.

Marcos Ambrose (23.545) and Dave Blaney (23.556) will make up row two.

Other drivers of note: Greg Biffle (6th), David Ragan (7th), Casey Mears (9th), Kasey Kahne (12th), Jeff Burton (15th), Matt Kenseth (19th) and Kevin Harvick (29th).

Edwards continues to pace the series without serious challenge. He owns a 423- point lead over Kevin Harvick and 592 over third place Dave Blaney. Edwards owns two wins and an amazing nine top-fives in 13 starts. The No.60 Ford driver qualified eighth, but did scrape the wall during his run.

The race is set to drop the green flag at 3 p.m. (et).

MLB: Cubs fine Barrett and Zambrano

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett and pitcher Carlos Zambrano were both fined on Saturday for their actions in two separate altercations on Friday.

"I have talked to both players and told them there was no need for what happened," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella before Saturday's contest against Atlanta. "They have both been fined."

During Chicago's 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field on Friday, Barrett and Zambrano engaged in two separate incidents.

After seeing the Braves take a 7-1 lead courtesy of a five-run fifth inning helped by Barrett's passed ball and throwing error, both players engaged in a heated argument in the dugout prior to the bottom of the inning.

Zambrano and Barrett came together and attempted to throw punches before both players were restrained and separated from each other, and neither player returned to the lineup.

"It was all my fault," Zambrano said. "Everything was all my fault. I want to apologize to the Cubs organization and the fans."

Barrett was later taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and received six stitches in his lip, after scuffling with Zambrano a second time in the Cubs' clubhouse.

"I love all of my teammates and I love Carlos Zambrano," explained Barrett. "We had our differences and now we don't."

PGA Tour: Mickelson's wrist not broken

Dublin, OH (Sports Network) - MRI and CT scans showed no break in Phil Mickelson's left wrist, but his plans to play next week in Memphis are still up in the air.

Mickelson withdrew 11 holes into the Memorial on Thursday with a left wrist injury he said he may have suffered chipping from the rough at Oakmont Country Club while preparing for the U.S. Open in two weeks.

His name is listed in the field for next week's St. Jude Championship, although it is unclear whether or not he will play.

"My intention still is to play in Memphis," Mickelson said in a statement posted on his Web site, "but at this point, realistically the chances are probably 50-50. I don't want to jeopardize the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Open."

Mickelson gave up the lead at the 72nd hole of last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

He was playing competitively Thursday for the first time since winning the Players Championship three weeks ago and was two-over at Muirfield before withdrawing.

The statement said Mickelson will take anti-inflammatory medication for a few days and begin therapy on the wrist Monday.

NHL: Senators host Ducks in Game 3 of Stanley Cup finals

(Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators will try to get back in the Stanley Cup finals this evening, when they host the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 at Scotiabank Place.

The Ducks have grabbed a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series after winning the first two games of the set on their home ice. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday evening in Ottawa.

After posting a 3-2 victory in the series opener on Monday, Anaheim extended its series lead with an impressive 1-0 triumph over the Senators on Wednesday at the Honda Center. Samuel Pahlsson scored the lone goal of Game 2 with less than six minutes remaining to lift the Ducks.

The story for most of the game was Senators netminder Ray Emery, who was assault all evening by an array of Anaheim shots, but would not cave in. That was, until Pahlsson created a turnover in the neutral zone, and turned it into the eventual game-winning goal.

After gaining control of the puck, Pahlsson flew into the Ottawa zone with a full head of steam before hitting the breaks once inside the right circle. From there, he feathered a shot through a defender's legs that beat Emery stick side with 5:44 on the clock.

NBA: LeBron, Cavaliers attempt to eliminate Pistons

(Sports Network) - The Cleveland Cavaliers try to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, as they welcome the Detroit Pistons tonight to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland leads this best-of-seven series 3-2. If necessary, Game 7 of the set is scheduled for Monday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

After losing the first two games of the set, the Cavaliers bounced back and won the last three contests of the series, including a double-overtime thriller in Game 5 at The Palace.

On Thursday, superstar LeBron James put together one of the great postseason performances in NBA history as he lifted No. 2 Cleveland past the top-seeded Pistons, 109-107, in double overtime to capture the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals in Detroit.

James scored a playoff career-high 48 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out seven assists for the Cavaliers. The All-Star forward scored the final 25 points of the game for Cleveland and netted all 18 points the team scored in the two extra frames. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas ended with 16 points and eight boards before fouling out.

Richard Hamilton tallied 26 points in the loss for the Pistons, while Chauncey Billups finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Chris Webber ended with 20 points and seven boards in defeat.

Soccer: France and Ukraine to clash for top spot

PARIS (AFP) - France and Ukraine go head to head in Paris on Saturday with both teams deprived of some of their star players and the top spot in Group B of Euro 2008 qualifying at stake for the winner.
France will be without veteran stars Willy Sagnol, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry due to injuries.
Boss Raymond Domenech has also overlooked Euro 2000 winners, David Trezeguet and Sylvain Wiltord.

France's lack of seasoned campaigners however is less significant than the injuries to three Ukrainian strikers. Chelsea's Andrey Shevchenko and Dynamo Kiev pair Sergey Rebrov and Artem Milevski are all out of action.
These losses have left Ukrainian boss Oleg Blokhine more than a little frustrated. "We're going to have to do without three of our key players," he said.
As well as injuries to his players, he also has to face the problem that many have lost their places in the starting line-ups at their club sides.
Spartak Moscow midfielder Maxim Kalinchenko and Shakhtar Donetsk forwards Alexei Bielik and Andrey Vorobei all lost their starting berths for their clubs.

France coach Raymond Domenech has hit out at the choice of match referee, Spain's Luis Medina Cantalejo, who played a part in the sending off of Zinedine Zidane in last year's World Cup final.

Horse Racing: Dettori bids to end winless English Derby run on favorite Authorized

LONDON (AP) -- Frankie Dettori looks to have his best chance of winning the $2.4 million English Derby on favorite Authorized.
The Italian jockey, who once won all seven races at an Ascot meet, has never had a Derby win in 14 attempts. He has 11 victories in the four other Classics, and hopes to add the Derby title Saturday in the 1 1/2 - mile race at Epsom.

Dettori's best finish was second on Lamtarra 12 years ago, despite riding some of the better 3-year-old colts.
Authorized, the 4-5 favorite with most British bookmakers, will run on soft ground after several days of rain. The last time an odds-on favorite won the race was Shergar in 1981.
Dettori usually rides for Godolphin Racing, but he'll go with Peter Chapple-Hyam's Authorized after winning the Dante Stakes with him last month.
Aqaleem, with Richard Hills aboard, won the Derby Trial at Lingfield and is the 8-1 second favorite. Then comes Archipenko, one of eight colts in the field trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien.
The field was reduced to 18 Friday when Arabian Gulf was pulled by trainer Michael Stoute because of a leg infection.
In the English Oaks on Friday, Light Shift held off Peeping Fawn in the final stages, giving trainer Henry Cecil his eighth victory in the classic for fillies.
With Ted Durcan aboard, the 13-2 shot took the lead 400 yards from home in the 1 1/2 -mile race and moved three lengths in front.
But Peeping Fawn, ridden by Martin Dwyer, made a charge and got within a half-length before Light Shift held on. All My Loving finished third.