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Reserves
selected for NBA All-Star games
NEW YORK (AP)
— Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and Dirk Nowitzki of the
Dallas Mavericks were among seven reserves picked Tuesday for their
first NBA All-Star games.
Jermaine O’Neal
of Indiana and Shareef Abdur-Rahim of Atlanta joined Pierce as first-time
picks on the East team, and will be joined by veterans Alonzo Mourning
(Miami), Ray Allen (Milwaukee), Jason Kidd (New Jersey) and Tracy
McGrady (Orlando).
Steve Nash (Dallas),
Wally Szczerbiak (Minnesota), Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento) and Nowitzki
were first-time picks on the West team. The other West reserves
are Karl Malone (Utah), Gary Payton (Seattle) and Chris Webber (Sacramento).
Reserves were
selected in a vote by NBA coaches, who could not vote for their
own players, while fans voted on the starters for the Feb. 10 game
at Philadelphia.
The East starters
are Michael Jordan (Washington), Vince Carter (Toronto), Antoine
Walker (Boston), Allen Iverson (Philadelphia) and Dikembe Mutombo
(Philadelphia).
Starting for the West are Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers),
Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Steve Francis (Houston)
and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota). Francis also is a first-time All-Star.
Malone is a
14-time All-Star, Payton an eight-time pick and Mourning a seventh-time
selection. Kidd earned his fifth All-Star berth, Webber was selected
for the fourth time, Allen for the third and McGrady for the second.
A record five
All-Stars were born outside the United States: Duncan (U.S. Virgin
Islands), Mutombo (Congo), Nash (Canada), Nowitzki (Germany) and
Stojakovic (Yugoslavia). Nash is the first Canadian All-Star.
U.S. national soccer team to prepare for World
Cup
PASADENA, Calif.
(AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed Tuesday that the
national team will play exhibition games at Italy, Germany and Ireland
in preparation for the World Cup.
The three games
had previously been announced by the European teams, but the USSF
had said they weren’t finalized.
The Americans
play Italy at Catania on Feb. 13, Germany at Rostock on March 27
and Ireland at Dublin on April 17.
The game against
Ireland will be televised by ESPN2. There will be no live U.S. coverage
of the game against Germany, which will by televised by ESPN on
tape delay that night. Television plans for the game at Italy have
not been finalized.
Street
will not be able to defend super-G title
Picabo Street
is the old-timer on the 22-member U.S. alpine ski team announced
Monday for the Salt Lake City Olympics, but she almost certainly
will not get to defend her super-G title.
The 30-year-old
Street will compete in the downhill. In the super giant slalom,
better known as the super-G, U.S. coaches have decided to go with
four women who have far better World Cup results than Street in
that event this winter.
Street can’t
be ruled out of the super-G because official entries aren’t
submitted until the night before the race. Still, the downhill on
Feb. 11 — the second alpine event of the Olympics — is
expected to be her only competition in Salt Lake City.
“(Street)
has a gold medal opportunity in the downhill,” U.S. team spokesman
Tom Kelly said. “We do not anticipate her as a starter in the
super-G.”
Tyson
denied boxing license to fight Lewis
LAS VEGAS (AP)
— Mike Tyson was knocked out of a rich fight against Lennox
Lewis in this gaming capital when he was denied a license Tuesday
after a sometime contentious hearing.
The Nevada State
Athletic Commission voted 4-1 against giving Tyson a license for
an April 6 fight against heavyweight champion Lewis, saying Tyson
could not control his emotions.
Tyson left the
hearing minutes before the vote, and his advisers said they weren’t
sure about the the fight.
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