Too Much Jazz hurt Texans from San Antonio

The Utah Jazz added a sour end to the road trip of these San Antonio Spurs.

Tim Duncan poked the ball away from Carlos Boozer near Utah's free-throw line, scooped it up and set his sights on the Spurs' basket 50 feet away. For all of Duncan's skills, however, foot speed is not among them. After lumbering down the floor, Duncan started to go up for a dunk only to have Boozer crack him back to the floor.

The hard foul not only prevented a basket, it sent a message. Apparently, the Jazz have grown tired of being pushed around by the Spurs.

And with the way the Utah Jazz are playing, no one should. Not the Chicago Bulls, not the Dallas Mavericks and obviously not the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat can't even do that to the young Oklahoma City / New Orleans Hornets.

With former Duke standout, Carlos Boozer, totaling 23 points and 16 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko pogo-sticking his way all over the court and Deron Williams burying one clutch shot after another, the Jazz beat the Spurs 83-75 Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

The victory was just Utah's third in its past 25 games against the San Antonio Spurs. With it, the Jazz improved their NBA-best record to 13-3 while handing the Spurs (11-5) their first losing streak of the season.

''Right now they're a tougher-minded club than we are,'' San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. ''We have a little ways to go to be as tough-minded as they are.''

On Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs will try to rebound from this loss as they host the Sacramento Kings. The Kings, without any solid low-post threat since Chris Webber left for Philly, should be easy prey for Tim Duncan and company.

Who will win the 2007 NBA Championship? Here are some odds from Bodog:

Chicago Bulls 7/1

Detroit Pistons 9/1

Dallas Mavericks 7/2

Miami Heat 4/1 (boo!)

Want more odds? Visit OddsHQ for the best odds on some of today's biggest sporting events.

Will Knicks be booed out of MSG Against the Cavaliers?

2-5. That's the stand the New York Knicks are in right now in Isiah Thomas' first crack as an NBA Basketball head coach.

When the NBA Basketball hall of famer took over as head coach for the struggling New York Knicks, many thought this will open brighter days for their franchise after having quite a very disappointing stint last season.

Well, the New York Knicks lost two of their last three games and fans are starting to wonder if Isiah Thomas can really make a difference. Yes, the Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden has started booing their Knicks out of the building too.

As the New York Knicks returned home, Thomas turned his frustration toward the New York fan base, which has made Madison Square Garden inhospitable only to the home team. The Cleveland Cavaliers will arrive Monday, and it is possible that LeBron James will be greeted with far more enthusiasm than the Knicks.

''We got to start winning at home,'' Isiah Thomas said. ''And we got to get to the point where we make our arena uncomfortable. It disappoints me that players feel that they can come into New York and that's the place to put on a show and play your best. We got to change that mind-set across the league.''

He added, ''Save your best performances for other arenas. We don't necessarily want them in ours.''

The New York Knicks lost BOTH their home games so far this NBA Basketball season. They lost to the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs as Knicks fans in attendance booed their team with reckless abandon.

Most of the booing were directed to Brooklyn native, Stephon Marbury, who is not having one of his best seasons so far.

Monday, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to put on quite a show at the world's most popular arena. Michael Jordan just LOVED playing here and LeBron James, wearing no.23 himself, will definitely be looking to do the same.

Who will win the 2007 NBA Championship? Here are some odds from Bodog:

Chicago Bulls 7/1

Detroit Pistons 9/1

Dallas Mavericks 7/2

Miami Heat 4/1 (boo!)

No More Magic between Darko Milicic and Orlando

For Darko Milicic, it's all happening again.

After the Detroit Pistons drafted Darko Milicic, the seven foot forward failed to impress general manager Joe Dumars. This led to his exile from Detroit to Orlando.

Coming to the Orlando Magic, Darko Milicic single-handedly engineered excitement, having Orlando Magic fans contemplating on the franchise's future to what they once called a promising young NBA Basketball talent.

All that changed after the NBA deadline passed without the Orlando Magic and Darko Milicic coming to a long-term contract extension. Talks can't commence again between the Magic and Milicic until July 1, 2007, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement.

Milicic now will become a restricted free agent, meaning he can negotiate with other teams next summer. The Magic, though, will have the right to match any offer for the 7-foot, 278-pound power forward.

Too bad huh?

''I want to see if we have a player,'' Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith said.

Milicic sat on the bench for two-plus seasons in Detroit before showing glimpses of promise during a 30-game cameo in Orlando. He has a lot riding on this season, with his long-term value fluctuating.

Smith touched base with Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein. Cornstein called Milicic's negotiations with the Magic ''tricky,'' given his client has not proven his potential.

''We understand. They want to see what they're getting,'' Cornstein said by phone from New York. ''You do open the door to other teams, for them to say, 'Hmmm, what would it take to make a run at Darko this year?'''

Given Darko Milicic's performances so far as a former no.2 overall draft pick, AB-SO-LUTE-LY nothing.

Who will win the 2007 NBA Championship? Here are some odds from Bodog:

Chicago Bulls 7/1

Detroit Pistons 9/1

Dallas Mavericks 7/2

Miami Heat 4/1

Washington needs more Wizardry against the Celtics

The Washington Wizards found out that they can't finish close NBA Basketball games.

We all saw these in the NBA Playoffs last year. We all saw how the Washington Wizards fumble the basketball in the dying seconds of the game. We all saw how the Washington Wizards miss key free throws when the game is on the line.

And yes, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to find themselves at the sweeter end of the deal.

In a near replica of last spring's thrilling first-round playoff series, the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers tipped off their 2006-07 NBA Basketball seasons last Wednesday with a tightly contested game that featured dramatic momentum swings, big shots and, for the Wizards, missed opportunities.

The Cavaliers, who won that memorable series in six games, emerged with a 97-94 win after Washington's Jarvis Hayes and Antawn Jamison each missed an open three-point attempt that would have tied the game and forced overtime.

Been there. Done that. Too bad for the Wizards faithful.

On Saturday, the Boston Celtics will be coming in to visit the Washington Wizards at the MCI Center. The Boston Celtics, after the death of legendary Celtics head coach Red Auerbach, are playing with a purpose.

If the Washington Wizards are not careful, another loss will be dealt to what would be a 0-2 start and the Boston Celtics will leave with the win.

Who will win the 2007 NBA Championship? Here are some odds from Bodog:

Chicago Bulls 7/1

Detroit Pistons 9/1

Dallas Mavericks 7/2

Miami Heat 4/1