WASHINGTON (AP) - The NFL and its players union are racing
against a 5 p.m. (Eastern time) deadline today when their
twice-extended deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement
expires. Both sides are far apart and officials from each side
yesterday questioned whether the other side had a serious
commitment to end the stalemate.
MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Heat's season-long five-game losing
streak is over, and so is the L.A. Lakers' eight-game win streak.
Dwyane (dwayn) Wade made a key late steal on Kobe Bryant and scored
eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter of Miami's 94-88 win
over the L.A. Lakers in a victory that clinches a playoff berth for
the Heat.
NEW YORK (AP) - It's a replay of that six-overtime classic two
years ago in the Big East tournament when 11th-ranked Syracuse
plays Connecticut tonight in one Big East semifinal. Fourth-ranked
Notre Dame, fresh off its 38-point dismantling of 25th-ranked
Cincinnati last night, plays 14th-ranked Louisville in tonight's
other Big East semifinal.
BOSTON (AP) - Fallout over hockey violence is escalating as
Montreal police say they have started a criminal investigation into
the on-ice hit by Boston's Zdeno Chara (zeh-DAY'-noh CHAH'-ruh)
that left the Canadiens' Max Pacioretty (pah-KOHR'-eht-tee) with a
severe concussion and cracked vertebra. Plus, Air Canada informed
the NHL it is thinking about withdrawing its sponsorship unless the
league cleans up the game.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Eighth-ranked BYU struggled in the Cougars'
64-58 win over TCU, a team that entered the Mountain West
Conference tournament on a 13-game losing streak. Now the Cougars
get a chance to turn the tables on unranked New Mexico in tonight's
Mountain West semifinals after the Lobos beat BYU twice during the
regular season.
