NBA

U.S. team berths near for pair of Wizards

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 31, 2006

Fourteen NBA teams are represented by the 15 players left standing for the U.S. national team that will compete in the World Championships.

Which team boasts two candidates? The Washington Wizards, who are represented by Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas. (Phoenix would have had two, as well, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, but Marion's sore knee kept him off the list.)

"It's a big honor; a dream come true," Arenas said. "As kids, we all watched the '92 Olympics with Michael Jordan and wanted to be a part of it. Now I've got my chance. One of my biggest dreams growing up was to be an Olympian. I had a poster with Michael Jordan, Magic, Bird, Barkley, Ewing ... they're leaning over the fence and you can just see their names on their uniforms. I had a Penny Hardaway No. 6 Olympic jersey, a Grant Hill jersey ... now it's my turn. Someone's going to be wearing my jersey."

Maybe. There are still three more "cuts" coming, though coach Mike Krzyzewski doesn't like to use that word because the players still remain on the roster.

Asked what it's like to be "trying out" for the team, Jamison said: "I can't remember the last time I had to try out for anything. Here's a situation where this is the biggest stage, but I never doubted myself. There are a lot of big-time guys, like LeBron (James), but to be put on the stage with the best, and to come out of here as a finalist, is very gratifying for me."

KNICKS: The team signed Wizards forward Jared Jeffries to an offer sheet believed to be for about $30-million over five years.

The Knicks gave Jeffries, a restricted free agent, the maximum midlevel salary-cap exception. The Wizards will have seven days to match the offer and keep the former Indiana star, who averaged 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 77 games last season.

Washington's window doesn't begin until the Knicks submit the offer sheet to the league, expected to be today, the New York Times and New York Post reported.

WNBA

This month, Connecticut became the first WNBA team to have all five starters named to the All-Star team. Sunday, the Sun reserves that got most of the attention.

Connecticut's backups outscored their counterparts 42-13 with Asjha Jones leading the way. Jones, the first player off the bench, matched her career high with 22 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Sun to a 72-65 win over the visiting San Antonio Silver Stars.

"Our bench was really, really good," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "I can't say enough about them being ready to play and doing the right things."

With his five starters struggling offensively, Thibault turned to his subs to pull his Eastern Conference-leading team out of trouble in the third quarter.

The Silver Stars led 42-40 with 3:16 left in the third. Jones scored 12 and LeCoe Willingham had five of her nine points in a 17-6 run that sealed the win.

WASHINGTON 78, CHARLOTTE 73: Former Florida star DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 22 of her career-high 26 in the second half to help the host Mystics clinch an Eastern Conference playoff berth.

HOUSTON 82, PHOENIX 80: Astou Ndiaye-Diatta made a 10-footer in the lane with 4.1 seconds left to lift the visiting Comets. Nidaye-Diatta's winning bucket capped Houston's 8-0 run over the final 2:57. Diana Taurasi scored 24 but missed an off-balance shot at the buzzer for the Mercury.

INDIANA 69, CHICAGO 64: Tamika Catchings had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the visiting Fever, which rebounded from a 74-67 loss at home to Washington on Saturday night. Candice Dupree scored a franchise-record 25 for the expansion Sky.

NEW YORK 78, MINNESOTA 69: Barbara Farris and Shameka Christon scored 20 apiece for the Liberty, which earned its season-high third straight victory and snapped a franchise-record six-game losing streak at home. Rookie Seimone Augustus scored a season high-tying 32 for the Lynx.

[Last modified July 31, 2006, 02:25:51]