CLIFTON, N.J. – Former Arizona Wildcat Lorena Ochoa is going to have to stage one of the biggest comebacks of her career to win a fourth straight Sybase Classic.

Helen Alfredsson jump-started a career-best, 10-under 62 by holing out for eagle from 68 yards on her second hole, and took a two-stroke lead over Brittany Lincicome after the opening round Thursday.

Ochoa, who has won this event at two different courses, was nine shots behind the long-hitting Alfredsson. Besides the eagle, the Swede had nine birdies and a bogey at Upper Montclair Country Club on a cold, damp day punctuated by an intermittent drizzle and chilling breeze.

Alfredsson’s round was the lowest on tour this year, and it left Ochoa with 54 holes to play catch up. Her biggest come-from-behind win was in 2004, when she rallied from five shots down in the final round to win the Wachovia LPGA Classic.

Ochoa overcame a four-shot deficit in this event three years ago, when it was played at Wykagyl in New York.

“I had birdie chances, like on 18, that just didn’t go,” Ochoa said. “But I’m happy. I’m very good with the speed. I had a couple that got away and had to save par, so I feel good. (Friday), maybe, some of them will drop.”

Only two other women have won the same LPGA event four years in a row. Annika Sorenstam won five straight Mizuno Classics in Japan from 2001-05, and Laura Davies won four straight Standard Register PING titles in Arizona from 1994-97.

That doesn’t mean No. 1-ranked Ochoa can be written off yet.

“As far as I know, this is a four-round tournament,” said Suzann Pettersen, who was third after a 7-under 65. “That’s all I can say.”

The 44-year-old Alfredsson made the game look easy, hitting fairways and greens all day. After starting on the back nine, the former European Solheim Cup captain eagled No. 11, birdied the 12th and chipped in from the edge of the green on the 13th for another birdie. Even with a bogey on No. 15, she shot 6-under 30 on the back side.

Alfredsson also birdied the par-4 first, one of eight birdies from 8 feet or less. She played the four par-5s in 4 under.

“Anybody, when we play good, you wonder why you don’t do this all the time, because it’s so easy,” she said. “It’s not strenuous, your head is not going crazy, your body doesn’t hurt. At my age, all that stuff usually comes along with it. So you don’t know why. I just felt that it’s just one of those days.”

Texas Open

SAN ANTONIO – Three-time champion Justin Leonard and Paul Goydos shot 7-under 63s to share the first-round lead in the PGA Texas Open.

The 44-year-old Goydos, who publicly opened up this month about the death of his ex-wife in January and raising his two teenage daughters, had the lead for most of the day until Leonard birdied three of his last four holes in the afternoon.

Irish Open

BALTRAY, Ireland – Italy’s Francesco Molinari shot a 9-under 63 to take a one-stroke leader over Sweden’s Johan Edfors in the Irish Open.

Former Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama is apparently exploring opportunities in the Canadian and Arena 2 football leagues after failing to land a free-agency shot in the NFL.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have claimed Tuitama’s negotiation rights, the Stockton (Calif.) Record reported Thursday.

The newspaper also said the Stockton Lightning, an Arena 2 minor league team for the Arena Football League, has offered Tuitama a roster spot. His mother, Nancy, is the Lightning’s travel agent, the Record said, and Tuitama is a Stockton native.

Jeff Sperbeck, an agent for Tuitama, told the Record that he has been in contact with CFL teams but was unaware of the Arena offer.

“We’re talking to some teams in Canada and trying to find an opportunity,” Sperbeck said. “Willie wants to show that he can still play.”

The CFL season begins in June, and Tuitama could negotiate with other teams if he chose not to sign with Saskatchewan, the Record said.

Sperbeck told the paper there’s still a chance Tuitama could be invited to an NFL training camp. Tucson police arrested Tuitama on March 7 on suspicion of extreme driving under the influence, which may have hurt his NFL prospects.

Meanwhile, former UA basketball player Fendi Onobun is still trying to land an NFL free-agency shot after working out for scouts for several teams, including Buffalo.

DENVER – The Denver Nuggets are collecting converts across the country with their uncommon blend of freakish athleticism, superb strength and unparalleled speed, qualities that might very well deliver this band of former malcontents and misfits to their first NBA Finals.

The Nuggets earned their first trip to the Western Conference championship series in 24 years by dispatching the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

They blitzed the Mavs the same way they did the New Orleans Hornets in Round 1, with a dizzying array of Chauncey Billups’ leadership, Carmelo Anthony’s clutch play, Nene’s unmatched post presence, Kenyon Martin’s toughness and Dahntay Jones’ peskiness.

Combine all that with a blazing bench that features Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s energy, J.R. Smith’s athletic artfulness and Anthony Carter’s cunning along with a rejuvenated coach in George Karl and NBA insiders are starting to tout the Nuggets as championship contenders.

Charles Barkley, a longtime critic of Denver’s play, is among those singing the Nuggets’ praises now and the chorus is growing louder across the league.

“These guys are legit. They’ve got a legitimate championship-caliber team,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after Denver’s series-clinching 124-110 win Wednesday night, the Nuggets’ seventh double-digit victory in the postseason.

“They have great balance. Their activity and athleticism and ability to generate second-chance opportunities is a huge factor. This building is a great building and a great homecourt advantage, especially when you factor in the altitude. So, they’ve got the pieces. They really do,” Carlisle said. “And they’ve got an experienced coach that’s been down that road and gotten to the finals. They’ve got a great shot.”

Since Billups’ arrival, the Nuggets are 61-27. They tied their franchise record with 54 regular-season wins and advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1994 and into the conference championship for the first time in 24 years.

For all those expecting a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James tussle for the title next month, hold up, said Dallas guard and ex-Arizona Wildcat Jason Terry.

“This is a team that’s going to be a tough out. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy walk to a Kobe-LeBron final,” Terry said. “They’ve been playing well since the All-Star break.”

Heat announce layoffs

MIAMI – The Miami Heat have laid off employees as the national economic downturn has hit the American Airlines Arena.

Heat team president Eric Woolworth said in a statement that the team had eliminated a small number of positions. Employees who were laid off Wednesday will receive a severance package and be eligible to be rehired.

An unidentified fan dressed as a devil runs ahead of the pack during the sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia race, from Bressanone to Mayrhofen, Austria, on Thursday.

MAYRHOFEN IM ZILLERTAL, Austria – Levi Leipheimer’s chance of winning the Giro d’Italia keeps getting better. Lance Armstrong keeps losing time.

Leipheimer finished in the main pack in Thursday’s sixth stage, with the race crossing into Austria.

Leipheimer, who is from Montana, remained fourth overall, 43 seconds behind leader Danilo Di Luca of Italy.

“I’m happy with how it’s gone so far,” Leipheimer said. “We saw some people who fell away (Wednesday) and some people who were strong, so the picture is more clear now and I’m still in that picture.”

For the third consecutive stage, Armstrong was dropped from the lead group. This time, the seven-time Tour de France winner was undone by a steep downhill run.

Armstrong lost 1:15 and dropped from 22nd to 25th overall, 4:13 behind Di Luca. The Texan returned this season after 3 1/2 years of retirement and broke his collarbone in March.

“I can’t expect to be too strong right now,” he said. “It’s been a complicated preparation. I have to be realistic and just ride my rhythm.”

Italy’s Michele Scarponi of the Diquigiovanni team won the stage after a long breakaway. He covered the 154-mile leg in 5 hours, 49 minutes, 55 seconds. Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway followed, 32 seconds behind.

Allan Davis of Australia was third, also 32 seconds back.

All the favorites – including Di Luca, Ivan Basso and Leipheimer – finished with the main pack, 36 seconds after Scarponi.

Nadal among winners

MADRID – Defending champion Andy Murray, top-ranked Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer advanced to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

Andy Roddick advanced after Nikolay Davydenko withdrew with a leg injury. Roddick will next face Federer, who defeated James Blake 6-2, 6-4.

Murray stopped Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-1, and Nadal moved up after Philipp Kohlschreiber also withdrew with a leg injury. Third-seeded Novak Djokovic defeated Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4. He will play wild-card Ivan Ljubicic, who rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over 2008 finalist Gilles Simon.

The last time the Federer and Blake met at the Beijing Olympics, Blake ended the Swiss star’s hopes of capturing his first Olympic singles medal.

“We haven’t played since the Olympics and I was pleased with the way it went today, especially with him playing so well recently,” Federer said.

The second-seeded Federer is looking forward to playing the sixth-seeded Roddick on a different surface.

“I’ve played Andy so many times, it’s time we played each other on clay,” Federer said.

Nadal will play Fernando Verdasco, who rallied from a break down in both sets to beat Juan Monaco 7-5, 6-2.

In the women’s draw, top-ranked Dinara Safina overcame a mid-match dip, defeating Lucie Safarova 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

So. Miss guard leaving

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss basketball guard Jeremy Wise has hired an agent, ending his college career a season early.

The 6-foot-2 point guard averaged 16.7 points and 4.7 assists last season.

Boldin

GLENDALE – Anquan Boldin’s agent has made a contract proposal to the Cardinals, but it’s questionable how interested the team is in entering negotiations.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus broke the news of the offer on his Twitter account Thursday and confirmed it to The Republic later in the day.

Rosenhaus said contrary to speculation, Boldin is not seeking a deal worth $10 million a year, which is what teammate Larry Fitzgerald is receiving. The recent offer is for less, according to Rosenhaus.

“It’s inaccurate and I just wanted to clear the record,” Rosenhaus said of the $10 million figure. Rosenhaus declined to discuss his proposal, saying, “I’m not going to negotiate Anquan’s contract through the media.”

Cardinals general manager Rod Graves was not available for comment.

An NFL source familiar with the proposal said the deal averaged just under $10 million per season.

Rosenhaus declined to say when he made the proposal to the Cardinals. He has discussed the proposal with Graves, he said, but the Cardinals have not responded with a counteroffer.

“I think we can be reasonable as long as Anquan is among the top-paid receivers,” Rosenhaus said. “We just want a contract commensurate with his performance. You find me another guy with three Pro Bowls, the same number of yards, receptions, touchdowns and toughness.”

Rosenhaus acknowledged that circumstances dictate that Boldin will make less than Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals were forced to renegotiate Fitzgerald’s contract a year ago because incentive clauses would have pushed his salaries to $14.6 million in 2009 and more than $17 million in 2009.

With two years remaining on his contract, Boldin doesn’t have that kind of leverage.

“We do have years left on our contract,” Rosenhaus said. “We’re not facing the same set of circumstances as the guy who is looking at free agency.”

But Rosenhaus said he and Boldin are not “just going to sit pat and look forward to another uncomfortable year like last year. We’re going to continue to talk to the team about a new deal and continue to hope the team will be flexible for a trade.”

Boldin believes the team has reneged on a promise to address his contract situation and would prefer to be traded.

Last week, Rosenhaus wrote on Twitter that he thought Boldin would be traded before training camp. Rosenhaus can’t negotiate a contract with other clubs unless given permission, but going public with the recent proposal to the Cardinals lets other teams know Boldin’s asking price is less than $10 million a year.

It could be the range of $8 million to $9 million a year on average. T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed a five-year, $40 million deal with Seattle this spring, with $15 million guaranteed.

Dallas traded for Roy Williams last year then signed him to a five-year, $45 million deal with $20 million guaranteed.

Boldin re-signed with the team in 2005, two years into his rookie contract, and received $10 million in bonuses. He is due to make $2.75 million this year and $3 million in 2010.

For D’backs, Rockies, third team

A Marana spring training complex as a February-March site for Major League Baseball is still in the works and could be home to up to three clubs.

“We really think we can populate a three-team facility in Marana,” said Tom Tracy, chairman of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority.

And two of those teams could still be the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, he added.

Both MLB teams are exploring options to move from their Tucson spring training homes at Tucson Electric Park and Hi Corbett Field, respectively.

The Diamondbacks’ contract with Pima County to conduct spring training at TEP expires in 2012. The Rockies are obligated to play at Hi Corbett through 2011.

But Tracy maintained the move of either team is far from a done deal, despite a published report out of Phoenix that indicated the Diamondbacks may be close to a decision to relocate spring camp to the Phoenix area.

“I spoke with the Diamondbacks as recently as 24 hours ago,” Tracy said. “They have not made a decision to leave.”

The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday that Diamondbacks Chief Executive Derrick Hall said the team was considering three proposals for new spring training facilities in Maricopa County.

But team officials also have said they are interested in the proposed Marana spring training complex, particularly if the regional sports authority is successful in bringing a third MLB team to share such a facility with Tucson’s existing Cactus League teams, Tracy said.

“We are having active conversations with another major league team to have them come here as early as next spring,” Tracy said.

He declined to name the team.

Talks continue with a Japanese major league team to join the Cactus League and play its games at TEP, Tracy said.

A major component of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority’s mission is to establish a nationally known baseball academy in Tucson, in conjunction with Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox.

The region could become a national site for youth and amateur baseball tournaments, as well, Tracy said.

The White Sox set off the potential loss of spring training in Tucson when the team moved this year to a new facility in Glendale that it shares with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who moved from their longtime Grapefruit League home in Vero Beach, Fla.

The Diamondbacks’ and Rockies’ contracts allow them to leave early if there are not at least three MLB teams training in Tucson.

Tracy said the sports authority also is considering life after the Diamondbacks and Rockies, if those teams decide to leave.

“There is a lot going on and there is a lot going on outside of the Diamondbacks and Rockies,” he said without elaborating.

The sports authority would need permission from both the Arizona Legislature and Pima County voters to enact a tax to fund a new complex in Marana. The proposed tax would be on hotel rooms, restaurants, and other businesses that benefit from the estimated $30 million that spring training brings to Tucson.

TULSA — Former Oklahoma star and NBA player Wayman Tisdale has died at 44 after fighting cancer the past two years.

St. John Medical Center in Tulsa says he died Friday morning.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Tulsa was a three-time All-American for Oklahoma. He spent 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

He first learned he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles in 2007. His leg was amputated last August, but he had made several public appearances since.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A day after learning Jeremy Mayfield failed a drug test for something other than a performance-enhancer, NASCAR allowed him to drive a race car at Darlington Raceway at speeds up to 173 mph.

A person familiar with the test results told The Associated Press on Thursday that Mayfield’s positive test was not for a performance-enhancing drug.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR won’t reveal what banned substance was found in the random test, which ultimately resulted in Mayfield’s indefinite suspension.

NASCAR officials previously announced the drug violation was not alcohol-related, and the administrator of its drug testing program has dismissed Mayfield’s explanation that the positive result came from a mix of a prescription with an over-the-counter medicine.

Under the sport’s toughened policy, that leaves the possibility that Mayfield tested positive for abuse of a prescription drug, narcotics or controlled substances, such as cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Ryan Newman called on NASCAR to reveal the substance.

“There should not by a mystery out there,” he said before the annual Pit Crew Challenge. “This should be public knowledge. If we’re going to do what’s good for the sport, which is also what’s good for kids that are out there that look up to NASCAR drivers, they should know what not to do.

“That’s super important to me. I don’t know the whole story for what’s happened. Knowing what the penalty is, knowing what caused the situation is extremely important.”

Because Mayfield challenged the initial positive finding, as allowed under NASCAR’s drug policy, the series did not take disciplinary action until his backup “B” sample also tested positive. That’s why Mayfield wasn’t barred from participating in two practice sessions and qualifying session May 8 at Darlington.

“There are limitations as to how quickly the process can be brought to conclusion,” said Dr. David Black, the administrator for NASCAR’s drug-testing program. “The practical reality is there is going to be a delay. In an ideal world, if the world were perfect and there was a possibility of an instant answer, we’d be able to take immediate action.”

NASCAR finds itself in a unique position in its first season under the toughened drug policy.

Other major sports leagues must focus on the effects of performance-enhancing drugs on their traditions and records, but the abuse of recreational drugs and the altered states they create can present an imminent danger in NASCAR, where 43 drivers are on the track at once, racing at high speeds.

Drivers had mixed feelings about whether Mayfield should have been allowed on the track while his “B” sample was analyzed. Newman called it “scary,” because he wasn’t sure what effects the substance might have had on Mayfield. Brian Vickers said he had no issue if NASCAR deemed Mayfield competent to drive.

Bryant

It’s difficult for Wendell Bryant to pinpoint the moment that he finally decided to end years of drug and alcohol abuse.

Maybe it was the death of his grandfather, who helped raise him, in January 2008. Or, it might have been May 2008 when his baby daughter, Devin, who couldn’t tell her dad was in a stupor, pulled Bryant close and kissed him.

Or maybe it was last June 3, when Bryant, the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2002, was leaving his Ahwatukee home to check into the Chandler Valley Hope treatment center.

“I had one last piece of joint,” Bryant said, “and I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to smoke this on the way.’ ”

But his lighter wouldn’t work. Bryant pulled the car over, tried the lighter again. Still no flame. He looked at the joint. Then the lighter. Then he looked up.

“I said, ‘All right, I get it,’ ” Bryant said. “I threw it out of the car window and drove my ass over to Chandler and from there I started on the path.”

The path has led him to nearly a year of sobriety and maybe back to the doorstep of the NFL. Bryant wants back in the league, although he hasn’t played since being suspended for the 2005 season after committing his third strike in the league’s substance abuse policy.

“You really don’t know the opportunities you have until they are gone,” Bryant said. “It took me a long time to realize that. You don’t realize how much you love something until it’s taken away.”

Bryant knows the odds are against him. He’s a recovering addict who hasn’t played a down of football in five years. Even when he did play, he was far from a Pro Bowler. He turns 29 this September and knows he spent his prime getting drunk and high.

But Bryant’s physique is testament to his seriousness. He’s dropped nearly 30 pounds, down to 295, while working with Scottsdale trainer Chad Ikei over the past year. Bryant appears in far better shape than he was in his three years with the Cardinals, when other players teased him about his doughy body.

“He actually has a physique,” Ikei said. “He’s not going to be on the cover of Men’s Fitness, but he’s much better than he was.”

Ikei had worked with Bryant before, knew his history and had seen Bryant at the house-warming party of a mutual friend about a year earlier.

“He’s done,” Ikei thought to himself.

So Ikei was dubious about Bryant’s commitment when Bryant approached him last summer. Not any more.

Bryant has been diligent about training, even though he lives 40 minutes away from Ikei’s facility. Bryant hasn’t missed sessions, even when there have been two-a-days, and Ikei believes Bryant is ready to give the NFL a shot. If the NFL will give him one.

“The league is very nonforgiving for some and sometimes forgiving for others,” Ikei said. “In Wendell’s case, I don’t think it will be very forgiving. If he was a Pro Bower the first two, three years before he got kicked out, it would be a different story.

“If he does what I think he’s capable of doing, it’s going to be a great inspiring story for many young athletes.”

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (left) scores on Washington Capitals goalie Jose Theodore during Game 7 of the second-round playoff series Wednesday in Washington.

WASHINGTON – For a guy who supposedly shies from the limelight, Sidney Crosby was as good as could be in the first Game 7 of his career.

The rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins were pretty close to perfect, too.

Crosby scored twice to raise his NHL-leading playoff goal total to 12, his teammates shut down his big rival, Alex Ovechkin, most of the night, and the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season.

Crosby “won’t say he likes front and center, the big stage, or anything like that,” Penguins forward Bill Guerin said. “But he really knows how to perform in it.”

That’s for sure.

Still, Crosby took no outward pleasure in coming out ahead in the second-round series otherwise known as Sid the Kid vs. Alexander the Great.

“It feels good, just because of the way the series went,” Crosby said, “not particularly because it was me and him.”

Everyone chipped in for the Penguins, from the stars to the second thoughts, from regular-season scoring leader Evgeni Malkin’s two assists, to fourth-line forward Craig Adams’ first goal in 42 career postseason games. Second-year defenseman Kris Letang, 38-year-old Guerin and Jordan Staal scored, too. Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves and didn’t allow a goal until his team led 5-0.

Indeed, plenty of Penguins considered the key moment Fleury’s nerve-testing save on two-time NHL goal leader Ovechkin on a breakaway just 3:01 into a still-scoreless game.

“That sends your team a message right away,” Crosby said. “It allows you to calm down a little.”

Even Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said, “It didn’t seem like we had a lot of emotion, but if Alex would have put that one in on the breakaway, who knows? It might have been a different story.”

Perhaps. But the Penguins dominated at both ends, and needed less than 22 1/2 minutes to forge a four-goal lead that moved Boudreau to switch goalies.

“We were surprised” at how easy things went, Malkin said.

Pittsburgh’s 4-3 series victory moves it closer to a second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup finals, something the team last did in 1991 and 1992. The Penguins will face the Bruins or Hurricanes, who play their second-round Game 7 at Boston on Thursday night.

———

Thursday: Anaheim at Detroit, 4 p.m. (series tied 3-3); Carolina at Boston, 6:30 p.m. (series tied 3-3)

ALPI DI SIUSI, Italy – Lance Armstrong is still a long way from regaining the form that won him a record seven consecutive Tour de France titles.

The Texan finished nearly three minutes behind the leaders in the grueling uphill finish in the fifth stage of his first Giro d’Italia on Wednesday. Armstrong dropped from sixth to 22nd overall, 3 minutes, 34 seconds behind new race leader Danilo Di Luca.

“I didn’t come in with any big illusions. I knew that I would be minutes behind the best guys,” Armstrong said.

Denis Menchov sprinted away from a select group of riders and held off Di Luca in a sprint for the stage victory. In the overall standings, Di Luca holds a five-second overall lead on Sweden’s Thomas Lovkvist. Armstrong teammates Levi Leipheimer is fourth (43 seconds back) and Chris Horner eighth (1:17 behind).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Pitt senior middle linebacker Adam Gunn has been suspended indefinitely from the team after being charged with public drunkenness and several other offenses resulting from a dispute outside a Pittsburgh nightclub.

NFL: Baltimore Ravens right offensive tackle Willie Anderson, 33, is retiring. He played 11 years with the Bengals, named to the Pro Bowl four times.

SOCCER: Manchester United moved within one point of a record-tying 18th English league title, rallying to win 2-1 at Wigan on Wednesday night behind second-half goals from Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick.

TENNIS: Rafael Nadal powered into the third round of the Madrid Open with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jurgen Melzer. Novak Djokovic beat Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3, Andy Roddick beat Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4, and James Blake downed Ivo Karlovic 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6(4) to set up a match with Roger Federer.

Denver ends nasty series with Dallas in five feisty games

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (right) falls back to make a shot over Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier (left) and guard Josh Howard on Wednesday in Denver.

DENVER – Chauncey Billups is taking his hometown team to new heights with a big assist from Carmelo Anthony.

Behind 30 points from Anthony and 28 from Billups, the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-110 on Wednesday night to wrap up their semifinal series in five feisty games.

So, the Nuggets are leaving all the animosity with the Mavericks’ players, fans and owner behind and heading to their first Western Conference finals since 1985.

The Nuggets, who are 8-2 in the playoffs after tying their franchise record with a 54-win regular season, will face either Los Angeles or Houston for the conference championship.

“It’s special. We worked hard in the offseason and training camp and throughout,” Anthony said. “We stuck to everything, we overcame adversity, we stayed humble and our hard work paid off.”

Winners of 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center, where no opponent has won since March 9, the Nuggets would start their next series on the road if the Lakers win, and at home if Houston does. The Lakers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 Thursday night in Houston.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said the combination of Billups, a proven winner, and Anthony, “who’s just taking quantum leaps as a great player and leader,” makes the Nuggets a true title contender.

“These guys are legitimate, a legitimate championship-caliber team,” Carlisle said. “They’ve got a great shot. They’ve got a real opportunity.”

The Nuggets didn’t dare dream of this type of success when the season began following the departures of defensive stalwarts Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera.

“Sometimes when you’re forced to come together and fight together and persevere, your best qualities come forward,” Denver coach George Karl said.

The impetus for the transformation came when the team made its biggest trade ever, Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups, who turned his hometown team from an afterthought into a championship contender after leading the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference finals and the NBA championship in 2004.

“He’s a leader,” Anthony said of Billups. “He came on this team and he brought a businesslike attitude to our team. He brought a defensive mindset we were looking for.”

———

THURSDAY’S NBA

> Boston at Orlando, 4 p.m., ESPN. Celtics lead 3-2

> Lakers at Houston, 6:30 p.m., ESPN. Lakers lead 3-2

HOUSTON – The shots stopped falling, the passes that worked in Game 4 were turnovers in Game 5, and every loose ball or whistle seemed to go the Los Angeles’ Lakers way.

Two days after one of the most stirring victories in franchise history, the Houston Rockets suffered one of their worst postseason defeats and now face elimination Thursday in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Lakers.

“We know it’s time to man-up or else it’s going to be golf time,” said forward Shane Battier, held to five points in Game 5 after scoring 23 in Houston’s 99-87 win Sunday.

The Lakers’ 118-78 win on Tuesday matched Houston’s most lopsided playoff loss. The Rockets say don’t count them out just yet, pointing to their propensity for bouncing back after embarrassing defeats.

Houston dropped 11 games by double-digits during the season and won the next game 10 times.

At this point, the series may hinge more on how the top-seeded Lakers play.

They came out flat and uninspired in Game 4, and the Rockets built a 29-point lead playing without Yao Ming, who broke his left foot the previous game. Kobe Bryant called the Lakers’ mindset for the game a “dumb mistake,” and Los Angeles left nothing to chance in Game 5.

“Every game, you’ve got to rebuild your momentum,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t carry over.”

Howard wants bigger role

ORLANDO, Fla. – Dwight Howard wants the ball more, and Stan Van Gundy is telling fans not to panic. Orlando seems to be teetering on a Magic Meltdown.

Howard met with Van Gundy and apologized Wednesday – but did not retract his statements – after publicly challenging the coach’s strategy in their Game 5 collapse. The Magic center even added another bold comment as the Celtics look to close out Orlando in Game 6 Thursday and move on to the Eastern Conference finals.

“We can’t give up hope,” Howard said Wednesday. “We’re in this series to win it. We are going to win this series.”

It was the second time during these playoffs Howard has questioned why the Magic coach doesn’t run more of the offense through him, with the latest being the loudest and most direct.

“Getting the ball shouldn’t be a big issue for me,” Howard said. “There’s more ways to dominate the game than scoring. Me and coach, we talked about that.”

Howard’s comments have caused enough uproar in Orlando that Van Gundy even suggested that any Magic fans starting to panic need to keep their cool.

“That kind of panic wouldn’t exist in cities that are used to having teams in tough playoff series year after year after year.”

Eddie Jordan seeks 76ers job

PHILADELPHIA – Former NBA coach Eddie Jordan has expressed interest in the Philadelphia 76ers head coaching job and hopes to meet with team president Ed Stefanski by the end of the weekend.

“He needs a coach, and I’m a coach that’s looking for a job,” Jordan said by phone Wednesday night.

Jordan, who was fired by the Washington Wizards in November, interviewed with Sacramento this week.

TNT analyst Doug Collins is also a candidate for the Sixers job.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have narrowed their search for a new spring training home in metro Phoenix to three locations, including two on Indian tribal land, team Chief Executive Derrick Hall said Wednesday.

Hall said all of the locations are two-team sites, and it’s likely the Diamondbacks would share the facility with the Colorado Rockies. A final decision could come in the next few weeks.

Hall declined to disclose the locations, except for saying two were on tribal land. The cost of the training facility is expected to be around $100 million.

Only the Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Fort McDowell Yavapai communities made offers in late March after the Gila River Indian Community decided to not make a bid. The third location was unknown, but bids also came from Phoenix, Casa Grande and an undisclosed West Valley city. The tribes and Rockies could not immediately be reached for comment.

“In all three cases, no public money would be involved,” Hall said. “It has to be privately funded and financed so it does not affect the taxpayer at all, which makes it challenging in this economy.”

The Diamondbacks and Rockies are looking to leave Tucson after the departure this year of the Chicago White Sox, who relocated to a new facility near Glendale. The teams say being the only two Cactus League clubs in southern Arizona puts them at a disadvantage compared with the other teams that train in the Valley.

Hall said the Diamondbacks would remain at Tucson Electric Park for at least next season, but would like to be in a new home by 2011.

The Diamondbacks are contractually obligated to play at TEP through 2012, while the Rockies have a contract to play at Hi Corbett Field through 2011. But with the departure of the White Sox, both teams have said there are escape clauses to leave early.

<h4>Mutual respect: </h4>

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (left) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin shake hands following the Penguins' 6-2 win in Washington on Wednesday, sending the Penguins to the next round of the NHL playoffs.

&gt; Go to <a href="http://www.tucsoncitizen.com">www.tucsoncitizen.com</a> for more sports photo galleries.

In the case of USC basketball coach Tim Floyd’s recruitment of O.J. Mayo, it might come down to a case of he said vs. he said.

Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo’s, has told federal and NCAA investigators that Floyd gave $1,000 in cash to a man who helped steer the star player to the Trojans, according to Johnson’s attorney, Anthony V. Salerno.

Whatever happens, there was a sense of relief at the University of Arizona, which had courted Floyd this spring before hiring Xavier coach Sean Miller.

UA athletic director Jim Livengood denied he had offered Floyd the job. But he said he had asked Floyd about the reports and his relationship with Mayo.

“I asked him the question,” Livengood said. “He said there’s nothing to that. So end of question. We didn’t go any farther.”

Floyd has yet to respond to the allegations, which first appeared in a Yahoo! Sports report.

“That’s really the whole thing: who do you believe?” Salerno told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Tim Floyd had a motive to pay O.J. Mayo to get there. Louis really doesn’t have any motives. He doesn’t have an ax to grind against Tim Floyd.”

Salerno said he thinks investigators believe Johnson’s story. Johnson has told them that he accompanied Mayo’s handler, Rodney Guillory, to a meeting with Floyd at a Beverly Hills cafe on Valentine’s Day 2007, and that Guillory emerged with an envelope stuffed with $100 bills.

“I don’t think they’ve expressed any indication that they don’t believe him,” Salerno said, referring to NCAA investigators. “And for what it’s worth, I think the U.S. government, through the Justice Department, believes him, too.”

Johnson’s account comes as USC deals with allegations that 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush received improper benefits from a sports marketing agent while at USC.

If the NCAA can prove Floyd paid Guillory for delivering Mayo to USC, that would be a major violation. The Trojans could be forced to forfeit victories, and could face recruiting restrictions and lose scholarships.

USC athletic department spokesman Tim Tessalone said the school could not comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Mayo played one season at USC, leading the Trojans to a 21-12 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the third overall pick. He was runner-up for the NBA’s top rookie award to Chicago’s Derrick Rose.

Salerno said he wonders why Floyd has not disputed Johnson’s account if it’s false.

“Tim Floyd easily could have said, ‘That’s baloney, it’s slanderous and not true, I never did that,’” Salerno said. “In my opinion, it’s kind of damning, his being silent. It’s not like this is a criminal case for him. It’s not like this is a subtle allegation. It’s black and white.

Ex-Pistons honor Daly

TEQUESTA, Fla. – Chuck Daly’s team gathered around him one last time. Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn were side by side on one end, Joe Dumars on the right, Isiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson standing together a few feet back.

The Bad Boys were together again, not as players but pallbearers who gave their coach a sad, fond farewell.

“He was coaching all of us until the day he died,” Thomas said.

Here’s how much Daly meant to Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, an ex-Daly assistant: His team was in Denver, a playoff game was six hours away, and Carlisle was still in South Florida, to help carry his mentor out of the church.

“Missing this was not an option,” Carlisle said.

Daly, 78, died Saturday of pancreatic cancer in Jupiter, Fla.

The Associated Press

Taylor rejoins Dolphins

MIAMI – Jason Taylor’s newest step has him back where he started. The dancing linebacker signed a $1.5 million, one-year contract with Miami.

He played his first 11 seasons with the Dolphins before being traded a year ago to Washington – a fallout from his stint on the TV show “Dancing With the Stars.” He was released by the Redskins in March after an injury-plagued season.

The Patriots courted Taylor, but he wanted to return to South Florida, where he still lives.

The Associated Press

Streaker pleads not guilty

NEW YORK – A streaker who disrupted a New York Mets game by jumping onto Citi Field naked except for a stuffed monkey tied around his waist pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges Wednesday.

Craig Coakley was arraigned in state Supreme Court in Queens on a charge of interfering with a professional sporting event and criminal trespassing.

The 38-year-old plumber jumped onto the field, with only the stuffed monkey and “Lets Go Mets” painted on his back.

The Associated Press

UW athletics lays off 12

SEATTLE – The University of Washington athletic department is trimming an additional $1.6 million from its operating budget by laying off a dozen staffers and streamlining operations.

Athletic director Scott Woodward announced the additional cuts on Wednesday. He had already decided to end the men’s and women’s swimming programs. Cutting those teams is expected to save the Huskies $1.2 million.

He said the cuts were necessary to “preserve the viability” of the UW’s remaining teams.

The Associated Press

It’s a girl for WNBA star

NEW YORK – Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker has given birth to a girl.

It is the first child for the WNBA’s reigning MVP and rookie of the year and husband Shelden Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The baby, born in Los Angeles on Wednesday, weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Parker plans to rejoin the Sparks once she gets the OK from her doctor. The WNBA season begins June 6.

The Associated Press

NUMBER OF THE DAY

56

Consecutive games in which the Yankees’ Joe DiMaggio got hits in 1941 – the longest such streak in baseball history. The other top streaks:

Pete Rose, Cincinnati, 1978 44

Willie Keeler, Baltimore, 1897 44

Bill Dahlen, Chi. Cubs, 1894 42

George Sisler, St. Louis, 1922 41

Ty Cobb, Detroit, 1911 40

Paul Molitor, Milwaukee, 1987 39

Tommy Holmes, Boston, 1945 37

Jimmy Rollins, Phil., 2005 36

Chase Utley, Phil., 2006 35

QUOTABLE:

'It would have sucked a lot more if we had lost.'

RYAN ZIMMERMAN,

Washington third baseman, whose hitting streak ended at 30 games. He went 0-for-3 but the Nationals beat San Francisco 6-3.

———

ON THIS DATE

1913: Washington’s Walter Johnson gives up a run in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Browns to end his streak of 56 scoreless innings.

1967: Mickey Mantle’s 500th home run, off Stu Miller, lifts the Yankees over the Orioles 6-5.

1999: Ex-UA Wildcat Annika Sorenstam shoots an 11-under 61, the best score in LPGA history on a par-72 course.

2004: Ex-UA Wildcat Richard Jefferson scores 18 of his 31 points after regulation to lead New Jersey to a 127-120 triple-overtime win over Detroit and a 3-2 lead in the NBA Eastern semifinals.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

If Cats don’t yowl, NCAA will do it again

Re: Candrea tells Cats: Let go of anger

• This is the second year in a row that Arizona gets the shaft (failing to host an NCAA softball first-round regional). And if Arizona does not do anything, then expect more of the same treatment. One was acceptable. Two is just personal. CLAUDIA44

• Truth is Arizona has won the regional out of state before, and here is one fan hoping the Wildcats do it again. AZMSKI

Amphi-CDO football series should be revived

Re: Amphi coach laments lapse in rivalry with Canyon del Oro

• What a shame! This was a great football rivalry. The games were always well-attended and usually were very well-played. Hopefully, the powers that be will look at picking this game up next year. 6652