Dwight Howard’s “puppies” get revenge on Kobe Bryant’s Lakers

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Dwight Howard was barking in the locker room, mocking some Lakers he claimed called his Orlando Magic team “puppies.”

Out on the court, the Magic showed they can bite.

Vince Carter had 25 points, Howard finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds and the Magic beat the Lakers 96-94 on Sunday to hand Los Angeles its first three-game losing streak of the Pau Gasol-Kobe Bryant Era.

“Alpha dogs usually have the big bark,” Howard said afterward. “But since we’re so-called puppies, we won’t bark as loud.”

Bryant played through a minor stomach illness to score 34 points, and Gasol added 20 for the Lakers. But they all walked to the locker room distraught and dejected after Bryant missed a 20-footer at the buzzer to seal their latest loss.

Kurt Busch wins. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski fued continues.

Kurt Busch survived two overtime restarts and a spectacular crash involving Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski to win Sunday’s wild Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Matt Kenseth was second by .483 of a second.

Bobby Bowden talks faith, football at breakfast in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Bobby Bowden spent 57 years standing on the sidelines coaching football. Retirement is a different game.

The 80-year-old Bowden, who left Florida State after the Seminoles beat his former West Virginia program in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, has spent the last two months flying around the country and beyond “making talks,” as he phrased it Thursday morning in Charleston.

“Last Sunday I was in Brazil, and the Sunday before that I was in Hawaii, and that’s the way it’s been,” said Bowden, who spoke at the Louderback Leadership Prayer Breakfast at Christ Church United Methodist. “Travel, speak, everywhere. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and now West Virginia.”

In Bowden’s mind, there’s no reason to spend his life after coaching on the sidelines, too. Thursday’s speech was the first of two he scheduled in the state on the same day. He left Charleston for Morgantown, where he spoke at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes function in the evening. He was to meet with approximately 30 of his former Mountaineer players today.

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Is it OK to pray for your team to win?

Does theology address this kind of winning? Does God take sides in a ball game? Is it right to pray to win? Does goodness ever have anything to do with winning?

That’s the Question of Faith Kentucky.com posed to their Faith Blog Network participants.

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Olympic athletes must have better values

Paul Kokoski Hamilton writes that Olympic athletes must have better values:

I am disappointed with the members of the Canadian women’s ice hockey team for bringing alcoholic drinks onto the ice after their gold medal win over the United States.

Olympians have a ‘play hard, party hard’ reputation.

The massive condom distribution at the Games seems to be evidence of that lifestyle and sends the message that such a lifestyle is permitted and even encouraged at the Olympic Village.

Athletes, however, should be grounded in their faith and encouraged to engage in prayer and spiritual reading.

Historically, sports was considered to be a virtue-making machine.

The values that correspond with sports were considered to go hand-in-hand with those that go into being a person of integrity and faith.

Vince Lombardi, the former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Green Bay Packers football team, was a good example of that. He lived his faith and it was integral to his coaching.

Today, however, sports is increasingly associated with vice. It should be a vehicle to develop good character, to make people courageous, generous losers, and gracious victors.

We have to recover these original principles of sports.

FREE Tony Dungy autographed DVD

Breakaway Outreach needs bowlers to come out and attend Rock N’ Bowl fundraising events this spring to help send prisoners’ children and other at-risk youth to camp this summer.

Help Breakaway get word out about this incredible life-changing opportunity for underprivileged children and become eligible to win a FREE autographed copy of the Tony Dungy Perseverance In Pain DVD.

Just watch the camp preview video, comment on the post, and retweet the link and you could win an autographed copy of PIP.

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ESPN Reports LeBron James changing jersey to No. 6

ESPN reports that LeBron James could reportedly have a new number next season, but Cleveland Cavaliers fans hope the words remain the same.

James filed paperwork to switch from No. 23 to No. 6, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Monday. He beat a Wednesday deadline to make the request.

The All-Star said in November that he was thinking of giving up 23 out of respect for his hero Michael Jordan, but at that time he was “50-50,” according to the newspaper.

“I’ve done it,” James told the Plain Dealer. “I already sent it in. I’m going to be No. 6.”

Six is James’ jersey number on the Olympic team, but the NBA does not have to grant his request. If James switches teams, he can choose any number he wishes. The change only applies if he stays with the Cavaliers.

James will be part of the vaunted 2010 free-agent class that includes Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. While Bulls fans would like to see him try to make No. 6 as legendary as No. 23 in Chicago, New York has also maneuvered to have enough cap space to sign James.

Cleveland can sign James to a longer, more lucrative deal, however.

Sidney Crosby spoils Team USA’s bid for Miracle on Ice II

SUPERSTAR Sidney Crosby scored the winner in overtime as Canada won the Olympic title, beating the United States 3-2 in a thriller.

The Canadians became the first host nation to capture gold in 30 years.

Crosby got the winning goal 7:40 into the overtime period, taking a pass from Jarome Iginla and sliding a shot under the pads of US goaltender Ryan Miller.

Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry also scored goals for Canada who won their second gold in the past three Olympics.

Roberto Luongo was superb in goal, making 34 stops for Canada who became the first host to win an Olympic final since the US did in at Lake Placid in 1980.

Ryan Kesler and Zac Parise scored for the US who suffered their first loss of the tournament after five straight wins.

Canada had a 2-1 lead in the third and looked headed for victory but US clawed its way back as Parise scored with just 24 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

But there would be no Miracle on Ice II for Team USA as Team Canada clamped down in overtime to get the gold on Crosby’s game-winning shot.

Jimmie Johnson gets win after Jeff Gordon dominates Vegas

Jeff Gordon dominated Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by leading 218 of the 267 laps. But it was Jimmie Johnson who won his second straight race by passing teammate Gordon with 16 laps to go.

Johnson took four tires and restarted fourth. When the race resumed he latched onto Gordon’s bumper and followed him for several laps before making the pass and pulling away for his 49th career victory and fourth at Las Vegas. The four-time defending series champion also won last week in California.

Gordon fell back to third after Kevin Harvick got by him to finish in the second spot.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series moves on to Atlanta next week.

Tennessee Vols stun No. 2 Kentucky

The 19th-ranked Volunteers withstood a furious rally by the supremely talented Wildcats and scored the final nine points for a 74-65 Southeastern Conference victory.

Kentucky erased a 19-point lead in less than 12 minutes, tying the score on a DeMarcus Cousins slam with 2:10 left. But the Wildcats (27-2, 12-2) didn’t score again, thanks to a series of turnovers and bad shots forced by the scrappy Vols (21-7, 9-5).

“They’re a good team — a great team, really — but they’re not unbeatable, especially in our house,” said UT senior wing J.P. Prince, who scored six of his game-high 20 points in the final 94 seconds. “We’ve been through a lot this year, but we’re still standing, and we can still beat anybody. And we just showed that.”

Tennessee won’t be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but it has now beaten half the probable field of No. 1s. First it was Kansas, now it’s Kentucky. Both in Thompson-Boling Arena, both holding on late, both with the help of huge three-pointers from near the same spot on the court. Skylar McBee did the honors in the last minute against Kansas, Hopkinsville, Ky., native Scotty Hopson did it to the Wildcats.

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