By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 21, 2012

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The Big East won't begin formal negotiations on a lucrative new TV contract until the fall — expected to top $2 billion if all goes well — but the conference gave a lift to its coaches and athletic directors Monday at its annual meetings, letting NBC and Fox offer preliminary presentations on why they'd like to showcase Big East games.

That interest, combined with the existing audience on ESPN, should create competitive bidding in the fall. That could be a windfall if conference members can stay together long enough to see the stability of a new deal.

"I think it's important that we stay together right now, especially as we get into these television negotiations," USF football coach Skip Holtz said. "Obviously when you look at a big part of what is driving conference realignment, it's the financial side of it. I do think (a new deal) will have an opportunity to go a long way in helping keep this league together."

So much has changed in the past year — the league mourned former West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, who died Monday at 59 of a heart attack. A year ago, he was here representing the Mountaineers — he was later replaced by Dana Holgorsen and West Virginia jumped to the Big 12. Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who are headed to the ACC, perhaps next year, were not represented at this week's meetings.

For all the changes, coaches said the mood was upbeat and positive, something they don't take for granted. Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey remembered the first round of realignment chaos — which saw Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech go to the ACC, replaced in football by USF, Cincinnati and Louisville — and said the current atmosphere is much better.

"Everybody said we were dead then, and the meeting in (2003) was a funeral around here," Brey said. "Everybody was, 'Woe is me. We're done.' I remember (Syracuse coach Jim) Boeheim saying, 'Well, you'll be okay in the Big Ten, Mike. You'll do good there.' Now we're talking about new markets, Texas and Orlando now. … There's some good juice flowing around here, wherein in (2003) it was 'Maybe we are dead.' "

Interim commissioner Joe Bailey, on the job two weeks after John Marinatto's resignation, talked about the importance of open communications. The arrival of Boise State in 2013 is something he fully expects, even as the school seeks a home for its nonfootball teams.

"Boise clearly has a situation with their Olympic sports, and they're trying like mad to figure out the best way to handle that," Bailey said. "We the conference are going to do everything we possibly can to help them."

So while there's uncertainty because college athletics is rapidly changing, coaches and administrators were unanimous in expressing optimism about the conference and its future.

"There were a lot of questions being asked, but there was a lot of positive feedback about the strength of the league, the teams coming into the league," Holtz said. "This league is stronger today with the new teams coming forward than it was seven years ago … There's a lot of exciting things on the horizon.

"There are still a lot of unknown things, but they're unknown for college football, not just the Big East."

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Monday, May 21, 2012

He was never a toes-on-the-edge kind of guy. As much as anything, that was what doomed Kellen Winslow's career with the Buccaneers.

He was never a player to charge from one practice field to another with spit and fire because a new coach suggested he do so. Winslow? He was the guy running pass patterns against an invisible opponent after the rest of the team had gone in after pregame warmups.

And so, K-2 is K-put.

Late Monday night, the Bucs told Winslow to run his final down-and-out.

In the end, Winslow simply didn't fit anymore. Not here and not now, not as a player and not as a proclamation. The new coach, Greg Schiano, is urgent, demanding, and his immediate goal is to squeeze everything he can out of the next five minutes. Winslow is a take-his-time, do-it-his-way guy who requires special handling. You could not have imagined a worse match.

And so it didn't last. It was never going to last. If the Bucs had better alternatives at tight end, it might not have lasted this long. Eventually, there was bound to be friction.

As near as anyone can tell, the only person really surprised by this is Winslow. At least, that's what he said in his interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, when Winslow announced the Bucs had informed him it was time for him to try another route.

According to Winslow, Schiano told him he would not be a Buccaneer for long. He said the team would try to trade him, which it did, sending him to the Seahawks for an undisclosed 2013 draft pick. The Bucs needed the roster spot after agreeing to a one-year deal with Dallas Clark.

He is a smart man, Winslow. He should have seen this coming. It doesn't take long to figure out that Schiano doesn't have a lot of bend to him. If some adjusting was in order, it wasn't going to be by a new coach taking over a 4-12 football team.

Winslow should have known that. He should have known that new coaches want to see you sweat up close. He should have known there was a perception of entitlement in the Bucs locker room from last year. He should have known a new coach was going to change things.

The first day Schiano showed up for work, Winslow should have been outside his door. Doing push-ups. Anything else was an athlete playing chicken with his career.

All players are not meant for all coaches. Remember Jon Gruden and Keyshawn Johnson? From the moment Schiano was hired, it was easy to wonder how a coach fresh from college would look upon a tight end who missed so much practice time because of his 70-year-old knees.

In some ways, Winslow was the first test of how Schiano treats an eight-year veteran who requires a bit of pampering. As it turns out, Schiano doesn't seem that interested in the concept.

And there is your message to the locker room. Buy in or move out.

Evidently, that also goes for guys who catch 70 footballs a season.

Say this for Winslow. For the past three years he has been a pretty good guy for the Bucs to have around on Sunday. He caught 218 passes during his stay, and there were times when it seemed as if he was the only receiver the Bucs had who could find an open patch of grass.

That said, Winslow didn't have the same burst last year. Separation came hard for him, which led to him pushing off with his hands, which led to offensive pass interference calls. He dropped a two-point conversion that would have tied the Packers in the fourth quarter during Week 11, then he had a locker room meltdown when a reporter asked him about it.

In other words, Winslow doesn't strike anyone as a young 28. After a while, a guy has to prove he's still a special player before he can get special treatment.

As Winslow walks away, one final question is in order. In the end, was he worth the price?

Again, Winslow was a productive player. The Bucs have gotten less for a second- and a fifth-round pick (the price the Bucs paid to Cleveland to acquire him). Still, that should last longer than three years, shouldn't it? Winslow wasn't a waste, but no, the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Miami wasn't worth the full price, either.

Odd. It was late last season, and the rumors of a coaching change were already flying when Winslow tried to speak out for his coach. Fire Raheem, Winslow said, "and it will ruin the Bucs.''

At least for his part, it did.

By Brent Gaskill, Times Correspondent
Monday, May 21, 2012

What's hot: The focus of most inshore anglers has been directed toward tarpon fishing recently. Fish of various sizes can be found at all of the usual hot spots, from the bridges to the beaches. Tactics vary by location and personal fishing style, but they all require patience. It's not uncommon to have tarpon rolling around the boat with little cooperation. Plan trips during good tidal phases coinciding with solunar periods for the best success.

Tips: Catching the coveted inshore slam consisting of snook, redfish and trout in the same outing can be done right now. Snook and redfish often gather in the same areas this time of year, and the trout are never far away. Explore mangrove shorelines with deeper cuts and ambush points to locate snook. Redfish move through these same areas and are attracted to the same live baits or lures used for snook. A short move away from the mangroves to grass beds with deeper holes typically produces trout to complete the slam.

Brent Gaskill runs Summer Vacation Charters and can be reached at captbrent@summervacationcharters.com and (727) 510-1009.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

ST. LOUIS — 1B Lance Berkman will be out at least six to eight weeks with cartilage damage on both sides of the knee but an MRI exam did not appear to show ligament damage, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said Monday.

Because he was hurt making a routine play, Berkman, 36, suspects a ligament injury that would require significant surgery and end his season, and perhaps his career.

"We can all agree you shouldn't get hurt just stretching for a ball at first base," he said.

CHAPMAN ARREST: Reds LH reliever Aroldis Chapman was arrested and charged with speeding — reportedly 93 mph — on Interstate 71 and driving with a suspended license early Monday.

CONCERN FOR LITSCH: Blue Jays RHP Jesse Litsch, the former Dixie Hollins High standout and Rays bat boy, told Sportsnet that his shoulder injury has become career-threatening. Litsch, 27, is battling an infection caused by treatment for inflammation.

PARKING LOT ATTACK: A minor fender bender in a Dodger Stadium parking lot Sunday led to the beating of a driver and the arrest of four people, police said. A man in his 20s had minor injuries.

CLEMENS Trial: Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens' former personal trainer, told a jury that he helped supply Clemens' teammates Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch and Mike Stanton with human grown hormone as federal prosecutors tried to rehabilitate his credibility in Clemens' perjury trial.

PADRES SALE: Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn is joining movie producer Thomas Tull in an attempt to buy the team. In other Padres news, LHP Cory Luebke said he will have elbow ligament replacement surgery.

ANGELS: LF Vernon Wells will have right thumb surgery today and is expected to be sidelined eight to 10 weeks.

RANGERS: RHP Neftali Feliz will be shut down for at least a month with right elbow inflammation.

RED SOX: RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka had his rehab assignment shut down because of pain in his right trapezius muscle. … RF Cody Ross could be out six to eight weeks with a fractured left foot.

Times staff, wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

ATHENS, Ga. — The Florida women's tennis team defends its national title today after beating Duke 4-3 in Monday's semifinals.

The second-seeded Gators (26-1) face top seed UCLA today at 1 p.m. for the championship.

Florida's No. 5 player, Alex Cercone, defeated Mary Clayton 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the final match.

The Gators won the doubles point and also got singles victories from No. 2 Lauren Embree and No. 3 Joanna Mather.

"I don't know how we won that match," Gators coach Roland Thornqvist said. "We found a way on doubles."

UCLA beat crosstown rival USC in the other semifinal.

Former Mountaineers coach Stewart dies

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Former West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart died Monday of an apparent heart attack, the WVU athletic department said.

Spokesman Michael Fragale said Stewart was golfing.

Stewart, 59, resigned last summer and was replaced by Dana Holgorsen, who had been designated coach in waiting. Stewart was 28-12 in three seasons.

MORE FOOTBALL: Cornerback Cortez Johnson is transferring from Arizona to Oklahoma, where he will reunite with defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, who had been head coach of the Wildcats, and linebackers coach Tim Kish.

BASEBALL: FSU senior outfielder James Ramsey was named ACC player of the year and Mike Martin was honored as coach of the year for a seventh time. Joining Ramsey on the All-ACC first team were three Seminoles juniors: first baseman Jayce Boyd, second baseman Devon Travis and reliever Robert Benincasa (Armwood High).

JURISPRUDENCE: Laurie Fine, wife of fired Syracuse basketball assistant Bernie Fine, filed a libel lawsuit against ESPN, saying the network aired salacious reports that she knew her husband abused boys and that she had sex with one of the boys.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Reds 4, Braves 1

CINCINNATI — Right-hander Mike Leake hit his first career homer, part of three solo shots in a row by the Reds, and allowed two hits in eight innings. Drew Stubbs hit two of the career-high four homers allowed by Braves starter Mike Minor. All the runs scored on solo homers at one of the majors' most hitter-friendly ballparks. Leake finally got his first victory in eight starts this season. He retired 14 in a row after Juan Francisco homered in the first.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Marlins 7, Rockies 4

MIAMI — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam off Jamie Moyer in a five-run fourth inning, Mark Buehrle was dominant after a shaky first and the Marlins improved to a majors-best 15-5 in May. Buehrle gave up four runs and four hits in the first inning and one more hit the rest of the way. Austin Kearns tied a career best with four hits for Miami.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Red Sox 8, Orioles 6

BALTIMORE — David Ortiz homered in the sixth to start a comeback from a three-run deficit as the Red Sox won their ninth in 11 games. They are at .500 (21-21) for the first time since April 30 but have yet to climb above. It was the first meeting between the teams in Baltimore since the Orioles capped Boston's September collapse with a walkoff win on the final day of the 2011 regular season.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Pirates 5, Mets 4

PITTSBURGH — Neil Walker scored on Clint Barmes' tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and the Pirates rallied against Johan Santana. Mike McKenry tied it with a two-run homer in the seventh off Santana. Jared Hughes earned his first major-league win in relief.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 21, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Jeremy Hellickson entered Monday having not lost a regular-season start in more than eight months, a near record roll for the reigning AL rookie of the year.

The right-hander pitched well enough to win Monday night, but three errors proved costly as the Rays lost 6-2 to the Blue Jays in front of 10,844 at Tropicana Field.

The inability of the Rays (25-18) to convert potential double-play attempts led to four Toronto runs, resulting in their fourth loss in their past five games.

"We made uncharacteristic mistakes on defense," manager Joe Maddon said. "It's another one of those weird adventures that we've been going through."

While Hellickson (4-1) deserved a better fate, Jays right-hander Kyle Drabek caught a break, becoming the first American League starter since then-Ranger Juan Guzman on July 15, 1994, to walk at least six, throw at least three wild pitches and still earn the win. The Rays stranded eight baserunners, going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

"We've been leaving a lot of people on base," Maddon said. "We've got to drive them in."

But the game was still close until the seventh. With one out and the Rays down 3-2, Hellickson allowed a double and intentional walk.

Maddon brought in sinkerballer Burke Badenhop, who did his job, inducing three consecutive ground balls. But two resulted in errors and the other a miscue. Badenhop said he should have gotten the first one, a grounder toward the mound, but it got under his glove, loading the bases for home run champ Jose Bautista.

Bautista hit a chopper to typically sure-handed third baseman Sean Rodriguez, but his throw to second sailed wide of Will Rhymes into rightfield, allowing two runs to score.

"There was no shot," Rhymes said. "It was really wide."

The two tried again when Edwin Encarnacion hit a grounder to third, but this time Bautista's hard slide forced Rhymes' throw to go awry.

"He got me right as I was throwing it," Rhymes said. "That's just good, hard baseball. I tried to stand in there and get a throw off, but there's only so much you can do."

That's how Badenhop felt.

"There's probably not too many times I get four ground balls with guys on base and we come out smelling like garbage," Badenhop said. "It didn't roll for us in that inning."

The Rays had got a break early when centerfielder B.J. Upton was awarded a solo homer in the first inning. Initially ruled a double, Upton argued for instant replay, and home plate umpire Joe West said the ball hit a suspended object beyond the B-ring catwalk, which ground rules say is a homer. "I know the rules in here, been playing long enough," Upton said, smiling.

But the Rays mustered just five hits, and Hellickson was saddled with his first regular-season loss since Sept. 4, 2011, spanning 13 starts.

"He really, really pitched well enough to win on any given day," Maddon said. "It's just unfortunate we didn't come through."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Royals 6, Yankees 0

NEW YORK — Felipe Paulino blanked the Yankees for the second time in a month and Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur hit two-run homers for the Royals. New York was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position with five strikeouts and a foulout. The Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games and at 21-21 have their worst record at this point in the season since they were 20-25 in 2008.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

PHILADELPHIA — Gio Gonzalez allowed three hits in six innings and Ian Desmond homered and drove in both runs to lead the Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the Phillies on Monday night.

Gonzalez, a former Phillies farmhand, struck out seven of the first nine batters and has 35 over his past four starts, all wins, in 25 innings.

Bryce Harper had two hits for Washington in the first game between the teams since May 6, when Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels intentionally hit Harper in the first inning of a nationally televised game. Hamels was suspended five games for the incident after admitting to reporters of his intent to send a message to the 19-year-old rookie.

The play sparked a firestorm, with Washington general manager Mike Rizzo being fined for lashing out at Hamels in a Washington Post story by calling him "gutless" and "classless."

The Phillies lost their third straight and have dropped four of five to the Nationals this season.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 21, 2012

Rays vs. Blue Jays

When/where: 7:10 tonight; Tropicana Field

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

RAYS: LH Matt Moore (1-3, 5.31)

BLUE JAYS: RH Drew Hutchinson (2-1, 5.53)

On Moore: He has lost his past three starts, allowing 15 runs, 16 hits in 15 innings combined. He has thrown 32.3 percent of his pitches with two strikes.

On Hutchinson: He has pitched well lately, winning his past two starts over the Yankees and Twins, giving up one earned run in each. He is 2-1 with a 4.98 ERA in four road starts this season.

Key matchups

RAYS VS. HUTCHINSON

None have faced

JAYS VS. MOORE

None have faced

On deck

Wednesday: vs. Blue Jays, 1:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (6-2, 3.77); Blue Jays — Ricky Romero (5-1, 3.64)

Thursday: off

Friday: at Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (6-2, 3.10); Red Sox — Jon Lester (3-3, 3.95)

Saturday: at Red Sox, 7:15, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 2.73); Red Sox — Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.38)

Sunday: at Red Sox, 1:35, Sun Sports. Rays — Matt Moore (1-4, 5.20); Red Sox — Clay Buchholz (4-2, 7.84)

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

Did you know?

Recently acquired INF Drew Sutton replaced injured INF Jeff Keppinger (broken right toe) on the roster Monday, after Keppinger was put on the disabled list. The two have been linked before: Sutton was part of a trade from the Reds to Houston on March 31, 2009, for Keppinger.

Masked men

Always entertaining RHPs Fernando Rodney, left, and Joel Peralta were a little more intimidating Monday, wearing gladiator-like masks while sitting in the dugout.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

Cardinals 4, Padres 3

ST. LOUIS — Tyler Greene hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, trumping Jesus Guzman's two-run double in the top half, as St. Louis snapped a four-game skid. The injury-riddled Cardinals have won three of their past 11. Clayton Richard got the first out in the eighth, then Yadier Molina hit a broken-bat single with one out off Andrew Cashner. With two outs, Greene homered to right-center.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

NEWARK, N.J. — The Devils, determined not to fall behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, steamrolled the Rangers with two goals in a lopsided first period en route to a 4-1 win at Prudential Center.

Defenseman Bryce Salvador scored a long seeing-eye goal from the left side at 8:01 of the first before the Rangers had a shot for a 1-0 lead. Travis Zajac then one-timed a shot from the left circle on a two-on-one with Zach Parise, who later scored twice, at 11:59.

With New York down 3-0, Ruslan Fedotenko ruined 40-year-old Martin Brodeur's chance for a shutout with a goal at 14:55 of the third.

After a scoreless second in which the Rangers outshot the Devils 11-9, Parise scored his first goal in the series on a rebound at the doorstep at 17:19 of the third on a power play.

The increasingly bitter series became more so with shouting and finger-pointing between Rangers coach John Tortorella and Devils counterpart Peter DeBoer at 6:18 of the third after Rangers left wing Mike Rupp dropped Brodeur with a left after the whistle. Rupp received four minutes for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.

First Period—1, New Jersey, Salvador 3 (Ponikarovsky, Clarkson), 8:10. 2, New Jersey, Zajac 6 (Parise, Zubrus), 11:59. Penalties—McDonagh, NYR, major (fighting), 9:26; Henrique, NJ, major (fighting), 9:26; Boyle, NYR (holding), 15:25; Volchenkov, NJ (tripping), 18:20.

Second Period—None. Penalties—Callahan, NYR (roughing), 15:03; Kovalchuk, NJ (slashing), 15:03.

Third Period—3, New Jersey, Parise 5 (Kovalchuk, Henrique), 2:41 (pp). 4, N.Y. Rangers, Fedotenko 1 (Richards, Del Zotto), 14:55. 5, New Jersey, Parise 6 (Salvador, Brodeur), 18:31 (en). Penalties—Stepan, NYR (high-sticking), 2:37; Rupp, NYR, served by Del Zotto, double minor-misconduct (roughing), 6:18; Bickel, NYR, minor-misconduct (roughing), 6:18; Carter, NJ, minor-misconduct (roughing), 6:18; Hagelin, NYR (slashing), 8:58; Hagelin, NYR (holding), 11:25; Del Zotto, NYR (cross-checking), 19:42; Ponikarovsky, NJ (cross-checking), 19:42. Shots on Goal—N.Y. Rangers 7-11-11—29. New Jersey 12-9-9—30. Power-play opportunities—N.Y. Rangers 0 of 1; New Jersey 1 of 5. Goalies—N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 10-8-0 (29 shots-26 saves). New Jersey, Brodeur 10-5-0 (29-28). A—17,625 (17,625). T—2:29.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: The Sabres signed Alexander Sulzer to a one-year contract, allowing the defenseman to avoid free agency. … Canada's TSN reported that the Ducks signed goalie Viktor Fasth of the Swedish Elite League to a one-year deal worth $1 million. … Hurricanes defenseman Jamie McBain re-signed for two years, $3.6 million, avoiding restricted free agency.

Times wires
Monday, May 21, 2012

ORLANDO — For months, the Magic trudged through the aftermath of a preseason trade request by Dwight Howard that sapped the life out of the franchise as internal team issues quickly affected the product on the floor.

Now after one of the most tumultuous seasons in team history, it made the first move in what promises to be a huge offseason shakeup.

The Magic fired coach Stan Van Gundy on Monday and agreed to part ways with general manager Otis Smith, severing ties with two of the architects of one of the most successful runs in franchise history.

Smith and Van Gundy's relationship with Howard was the centerpiece of drama the team faced all season, and after its second straight first-round playoff exit, CEO Alex Martins said the shift was warranted.

"It's time for a new leadership and a new approach," Martins said at a news conference to discuss the moves. "We simply came to the decision that we were not on the right track."

Martins wouldn't go into many specifics about what he is looking for in replacements, saying only that he and ownership want to fill the general manager post by June's NBA draft.

He said he would sit down with ownership today to begin ironing out the details of both searches.

Van Gundy, 51, exits with the most wins in franchise history, going 259-135 in the regular season and 31-28 in the playoffs.

"Don't really want to comment except to say that I am really proud of what we accomplished over the past five years and I look forward to whatever comes next," Van Gundy wrote in a text message to the Orlando Sentinel.

Orlando went 37-29 in the regular season but was eliminated in five games by Indiana after a rash of late-season injuries that included back surgery for Howard. The Magic went 5-12 without him.

Martins said those consecutive first-round playoff exits were "simply not good enough."

Celtics gain edge

BOSTON — Brandon Bass scored 18 of his postseason career-high 27 in the third quarter Monday night as the Celtics pulled away from the 76ers to win 101-85 and take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for Boston, which can advance to the East final with a victory Wednesday in Game 6 in Philadelphia. The Sixers would need a win there to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game on Saturday.

Elton Brand scored 19 and Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which led by six points early in the third quarter before Boston scored 14 of the next 16. Bass scored eight of them, including back-to-back dunks followed by a steal that set up Ray Allen's fastbreak layup to give the Celtics a 63-57 lead with five minutes left in the quarter.

Boston closed out the third with a 10-2 run over the final three minutes and outscored the Sixers 28-16 in the quarter. The Celtics also scored 16 of the first 22 in the fourth quarter, seven from Rondo, to put away the game.

Paul Pierce had 16 points and made all nine free throws and Allen, back in the starting lineup because of an injury to Avery Bradley, had five points.

Bass, acquired in December from the Magic, hadn't scored more than 22 this season.

PHILADELPHIA (85): Iguodala 3-10 1-4 8, Brand 8-13 3-4 19, Hawes 4-8 2-2 10, Holiday 4-6 0-0 10, Turner 5-13 1-2 11, Meeks 0-3 0-0 0, L.Allen 6-6 0-0 12, T.Young 3-8 0-0 6, L.Williams 3-10 3-4 9, Silas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-77 10-16 85.

BOSTON (101): Pierce 3-7 9-9 16, Bass 9-13 9-10 27, Garnett 8-17 4-5 20, Rondo 6-10 1-3 13, R.Allen 2-7 0-0 5, Stiemsma 5-5 0-0 10, Pietrus 1-4 1-2 3, Dooling 0-1 0-0 0, Hollins 1-2 0-2 2, Daniels 0-1 2-2 2, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Pavlovic 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 36-69 26-33 101.

Philadelphia 27 23 16 19— 85

Boston 23 24 28 26— 101

3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 3-9 (Holiday 2-3, Iguodala 1-4, L.Williams 0-2), Boston 3-15 (Pavlovic 1-1, Pierce 1-4, R.Allen 1-5, Rondo 0-1, Dooling 0-1, Pietrus 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Philadelphia 46 (Turner 10), Boston 41 (Garnett, Bass 6). Assists—Philadelphia 20 (Holiday 7), Boston 22 (Rondo 14). Total Fouls—Philadelphia 24, Boston 18. Technicals—Philadelphia Coach Collins. A—18,624 (18,624).

LATE SUNDAY: The Spurs are in the Western Conference final, along with their 18-game winning streak and 8-0 mark in the playoffs.

They rallied in the closing minutes behind Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to beat the host Clippers 102-99 and wrap up the second-round series 4-0.

"We needed a game like that. It arrived at the perfect time," Parker said. "We battled. We executed our plays, made big baskets."

Their next opponent will be the Oklahoma City Thunder, which returned to the conference final with a 106-90 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night for a 4-1 series victory .

"All these teams know each other pretty well, so I don't think there will be a huge surprise for anybody no matter who we play," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Times wires
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Astros 8, Cubs 3

HOUSTON — Jason Castro and Chris Johnson hit three-run homers and Bud Norris pitched seven shutout innings for the Astros. Castro homered in the second and Johnson in the third to help hand Chicago its season-high seventh loss in a row. Jed Lowrie hit a solo shot in the seventh to give Houston three homers for the second time in three games.

Times wires
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Giants 4, Brewers 3

14 innings

MILWAUKEE — Backup catcher Hector Sanchez led off the 14th inning with a home run off reliever Juan Perez to lift San Francisco.

Times wires
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Athletics 2, Angels 1

OAKLAND, Calif. — Tommy Milone pitched seven five-hit innings and Kila Ka'aihue drove in the go-ahead run for Oakland. Milone never allowed the anemic Los Angeles offense to get going. The left-hander's only blemish was Mike Trout's RBI double in the fifth that landed between two Athletics players. Kurt Suzuki drove in a run on a double-play groundout in the second, and Ka'aihue's RBI single in the third helped Oakland snap Jerome Williams' four-game winning streak.

Times wires
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Mariners 6, Rangers 1

SEATTLE — Seattle chased Texas' Yu Darvish after four innings in his shortest start of the season, and the Mariners won their fourth straight game. Seattle became the first team that Darvish had to face for a second time, and the rookie from Japan labored through 96 pitches and a season-high six walks. Only the Mariners' inability to take advantage of a bases-loaded situation in the fourth kept Darvish's line from being worse.