Game 7 greatness

MICHAEL JORDAN never played in an NBA Finals Game 7. Neither did Julius Erving nor Oscar Robertson.

Larry Bird beat Magic Johnson's team in his only Game 7 Finals appearance in 1984, but Magic found redemption in 1988 when he beat Isiah Thomas. Kareem had been 0-2 until that one. Wilt Chamberlain's only Finals' Game 7 was a loss in the Willis Reed game in 1970.

Bill Russell was the king of Game 7s with a 5-0 record. In his first, he had 19 points and 32 rebounds. Fellow rookie Tommy Heinsohn had 37 points and 23 boards as the Celtics beat St. Louis, 125-123, in double overtime. That win ignited the Celts dynasty of 11 titles in 13 years.

Kobe Bryant gets his first crack tonight.

"You've just got a job to do, you go out there and you do it, and then you can look back at it after the fact," Bryant said.

A win tonight and Kobe will continue to muscle his way onto the Mount Rushmore of NBA legends.

Into the future

 

The USGA said yesterday that it will hold the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in conjunction with the course's 100th anniversary.

By that time, BP should have the Gulf oil spill plugged.

Nobody's perfect

 

Checking in on the two guys who've thrown perfect games this season and the other guy (Armando Galarraga) who almost threw one and how they have fared since their gems:

Opp.

GS W-L ERA Bat. IP H BB SO

Dallas Braden, Oak. . . . 6 0-4 4.75 .303 36 44 7 22

Roy Halladay, Phils. . . 3 1-2 3.86 .286 21 24 4 20

Armando Galarraga, Det.. . . 2 0-0 2.84 .260 12 13 3 2

- Ed Barkowitz

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