SPORTS
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Super Bowl XLIX
Patriots not dwelling on last
Super Bowl loss in Arizona
Past defeat not
a deterrent for
New England
By HOWARD ULMAN
Associated Press
CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP)
— The road to perfection
reached a dead end in the Ar-
izona desert. Now the New
England Patriots are back
where a Super Bowl cham-
pionship — and an unbeat-
en record — barely eluded
them seven years ago.
Not that they dwell on
their return to the place
where the best season in
NFL history slipped from
their grasp.
“It’s not where we play,
it’s how we play,” Tom
Brady said Wednesday, “and
I’m glad we’re here with the
opportunity to do something
really special.”
A win Sunday night
against the Seattle Seahawks
would even the Patriots re-
cord in Super Bowls at Uni-
versity of Phoenix Stadium
at 1-1. New England is seek-
ing a championship, not clo-
sure for its 17-14 loss to the
New York Giants in 2008.
“I’m sure it will be a
cool story if we win, saying
we came back to the same
place,” kicker Stephen Gost-
kowski said, “but I don’t
(AP Photo/Gene Puskar, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2008, file photo, New York Gi-
ants receiver David Tyree (85) catches a pass while in
the clutches of New England Patriots safety Rodney
Harrison (37) as James Sanders (36) watches during
the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLII football
game in Glendale, Ariz. A win Sunday night, Feb 1,
against the Seattle Seahawks would even the Patri-
ots record in Super Bowls at University of Phoenix
Stadium at 1-1.
think about that stuff. I’m
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kick that they send me out
for.”
So when a receiver leaps
for a pass at the opponent’s
23-yard line, don’t expect
WKH 3DWULRWV WR KDYH ÀDVK-
backs to David Tyree trap-
ping the ball against his hel-
met at that spot with Rodney
Harrison draped over him.
That 32-yard completion
with just over a minute left,
after Eli Manning kept the
play alive by breaking free
with defensive end Rich-
ard Seymour tugging at his
jersey, set up the winning
13-yard touchdown pass to
Plaxico Burress.
It took Patriots players a
long time to get over how
close they came to a 19-0 re-
cord. Then coach Bill Beli-
chick met with his assistants.
“One day Bill walks in,”
running backs coach Ivan
Fears said. “He says, ‘we
got to move on guys, start
smiling.’”
It’s a cornerstone of Beli-
chick’s philosophy. Lament-
ing misfortunes leads to
more of them, Fears said.
Fears, offensive coor-
dinator Josh McDaniels
and defensive coordinator
Matt Patricia remain from
the staff at the 2008 Super
Bowl. Brady, Gostkowski
and defensive tackle Vince
Wilfork are the only players
from that game still on the
Patriots.
“It was a heartbreaker,”
Gostkowski said, but “we’ve
already played in (and lost)
another Super Bowl since
then, so I don’t even sweat
that. I have two kids and
a wife and two dogs, and I
didn’t have any of that sev-
en years ago. So life has
changed a lot since then.”
The Patriots are staying
in a different hotel, meeting
in different rooms and prac-
ticing at a different site than
in 2008. The retractable roof
on the stadium was closed
for that game. The current
plan is to have it open Sun-
day.
“Everything is different,”
McDaniels said. “That was
a great season and we were
trying to obviously win an
incredible game and the
Giants made one more play
than we did. But I don’t
think that has anything to do
with this week.”
BLAZERS: Irving nails go-ahead 3-pointer
Continued from 1B
Irving broke the previous scoring
record at Quicken Loans Arena held
by Allen Iverson. His point total was
also the highest in the league this sea-
son, bettering the 52 scored by Golden
State’s Klay Thompson and Minneso-
ta’s Mo Williams.
Irving, who scored 38 on Tuesday in
Detroit, made a team record 11 3-point-
HUVDQG¿QLVKHGRIIURPWKHIUHH
throw line in a tour-de-force perfor-
mance. He scored 24 of Cleveland’s
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in the fourth quarter. But it was his long
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the Q.
With the score tied at 94-all, Irving
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with a move toward the basket before
stopping and sinking his 3-last 3-point-
er. After the Trail Blazers called time-
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teammate with a chest bump.
James sprained his right wrist on
Tuesday, when he fell hard after trying
to block a shot against Detroit. James
reached out with both arms to brace his
fall and said afterward he was scared
after breaking his left wrist on a similar
play while he was in high school. The
team said an MRI revealed the sprain
and that James is doubtful for Friday’s
game against Sacramento.
Until he’s ready, Irving is ready to
carry the load.
LaMarcus Aldridge, playing his
second game since deciding to delay
Irving beat Lillard with a cross-
over dribble and then stepped back
behind the line to drain a 3, giving
Cleveland a 54-38 lead. James was
out of his seat speaking to coach Da-
vid Blatt when Irving launched his
shot and James returned to the bench
screaming about his teammate’s on-
court eruption.
Portland spent two days in Cleve-
land, arriving earlier than planned after
Monday night’s game in New York was
postponed by the massive snowstorm
in the Northeast.
“I was glad we could get out of New
York when we did,” coach Terry Stotts
said. “The travel could have been much
worse. With the way the forecasts were,
if we had played the game we would
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
have been in New York for a little bit
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) longer.”
shoots over Portland Trail Blazersí
Stotts said Aldridge’s decision to de-
Damian Lillard (0) during the sec- lay surgery didn’t surprise him.
ond quarter of an NBA basketball
“He’s been a consummate pro since
game Wednesday in Cleveland.
I’ve been here,” he said. “I like the fact
thumb surgery until after the season, he was very aggressive. He didn’t shy
scored 38 to lead the Trail Blazers, who away from contact. He didn’t show
have dropped six of seven. Lillard add- any ill effects of the hand bothering
ed 14 on just 4 of 19 shooting.
him at all.”
Irving was nearly unstoppable in the
Kevin Love’s shooting woes con-
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tinued. He missed 11 consecutive shots
+HVFRUHGSRLQWVLQWKH¿QDO DIWHUVWDUWLQJRIDQGRILQKLV
RIWKH¿UVWTXDUWHUDPHUHDSSHWL]HUIRU past two games.
his scoring spree. He drove past Lillard
Once James returns, David Blatt in-
for several layups and when Portland’s tends to keep a close eye on the min-
speedy guard gave him some space utes he plays going forward.
Irving made him pay by dropping six
“We’re doing our best to keep him
3-pointers, including one that had fresh,” Blatt said. “We will try not to
James ranting on the sideline.
overplay him in any game.”
PAC-12: Hot-shooting Devils take down Beavers
Continued from 1B
over the Ducks Wednesday night.
“That shows just how lethal we can
be,” said Arizona point guard T.J. Mc-
&RQQHOOZKRKDGSRLQWVDQG¿YHDV-
sists. “That was one of our best games
all year.”
Arizona (19-2, 7-1 Pac-12) routed
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hind its defense. The Wildcats gave the
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added a dose of share-the-ball offense
that made this rout even worse.
The Wildcats had their way with Or-
egon inside and out, building a 15-point
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Ducks’ hopes with a big run midway
through the second to win their 33rd
straight home game.
Gabe York provided the big lift
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13 and freshman Stanley Johnson add-
ed 12 while showing off his all-around
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shots of the second half to cut the lead
to 10, but collapsed under Arizona’s
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“It was a lack of organization that
hurt us,” Oregon coach Dana Altman
said. “We needed to get in the right spots
and we didn’t do a good job executing
it. Arizona did a good job taking away
some looks from us. We had a hard time
getting shots tonight, that’s it.”
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seph Young added 12 for Oregon.
ARIZONA STATE 73, OREGON
STATE 55 — At Tempe, Ariz., A key
streak of 3-point shooting - against the
best 3-point defense in the Pac-12 -
proved the difference for Arizona State.
Shaquielle McKissic scored 17
points and Arizona State made eight
¿UVWKDOISRLQWHUVLQDFRQIHU-
ence win Wednesday night over Ore-
gon State.
“It’s good to make outside shots
against the zone,” Arizona State coach
Herb Sendek said. “But we didn’t nec-
essarily want to live and die by that. But
like we’ve said all along, when the ball
is going in, it makes a big difference.”
Gary Payton II had 23 points to lead
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three straight.
Arizona State (11-10, 3-5) used an
18-3 run early to take a 40-23 lead into
the break and extended it to as many
as 22 points in winning its third game
in the last four. Oregon State never got
closer than 15 in the second half.
“We’ve been leading this league in
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who is in your area and you get to him,”
said Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle.
“Tonight we didn’t. We short-closed on
guys that stuck them in our face and we
lost them in transition.”
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3-pointers in one stretch to open up a
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utes of the game. The Sun Devils made
9 of 24 from beyond the arc on the
night.
The Beavers missed 9 of 12 shots
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18 at that point.
Malcolm Duvivier added 14 points
for Oregon State before fouling out
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“Disappointed in our effort, in our
lack of focus, and I thought our leader-
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been,” said Tinkle. “We had too many
guys who had off nights. But you can’t
have off nights offensively and carry it
to the defensive end.”
STANFORD 84, WASHING-
TON 74 — At Seattle, Anthony Brown
scored 23 points and Stanford took
advantage of Washington’s deplet-
ed inside game for an 84-74 victory
Wednesday night.
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dismissing 7-foot center Robert Up-
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rules.
That left little inside resistance for
Cardinal 7-foot center Stefan Nastic,
who scored 15 of his 17 points in the
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Chasson Randle added 20 points
and Marcus Allen had 12 for Stanford
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Nigel Williams-Goss had 17 points
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Winters added 13.
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at intermission and Washington could
draw no closer until pulling within 10
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East Oregonian
Page 3B
Australian Open
AP Photo/Vincent Thian
Serena Williams of the U.S. yells during her semifinal
match against compatriot Madison Keys at the Austra-
lian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Austra-
lia, Thursday.
Williams, Sharapova
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Top seeds to
square off again
By JOHN PYE
Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia
— Serena Williams weath-
ered a barrage of big serves
and heavy groundstrokes
early and needed nine match
points before beating Madi-
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against second-seeded Maria
Sharapova.
Top-ranked
Williams,
bothered by a cold in recent
days, dominated the second
set of the all-American semi-
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twice.
The 19-year-old Keys,
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match points on serve in a
penultimate game that lasted
more than 11 minutes. Wil-
liams kept her cool, wasting
one match point on her serve
before closing with an ace to
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“She pushed me really
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to really dig deep mentally to
get through that,” Williams
said, pausing to cough. “It
was a little frustrating, I had
like nine or 10 match points
and couldn’t close it out. That
doesn’t happen so much. She
played like she didn’t have
anything to lose.”
Sharapova, who beat No.
10-seeded Ekaterina Makaro-
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reach her fourth Australian
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15 head-to-head matches to
Williams. Her only two wins
in their 18 career meetings
were at Wimbledon and the
tour-ending championship in
2004.
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should be pretty high going
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no matter who I’m facing and
whether I’ve had a terrible re-
cord, to say the least, against
someone,” Sharapova said.
“It doesn’t matter. I got there
for a reason. I belong in that
spot. I will do everything I
can to get the title.”
Williams, an 18-time ma-
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title in 2010.
$QGKHUVHPL¿QDOZLQHQ-
sured she will retain the top
ranking, regardless of the
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The 33-year-old Ameri-
can said she was nervous at
the start, and it showed. Keys
broke her serve to open and
dictated many of the longer
rallies with her heavy ground
strokes, forcing Williams to
defend more than usual.
Keys, who beat Venus
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to reach a Grand Slam semi-
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control until she was broken
in the sixth game.
She held in the 12th game,
closing with an ace to force
a tiebreaker, but quickly fell
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two aces. She saved two set
points with aces but had no
chance of extending the tie-
breaker when Williams hit
another unreturnable serve,
and started jumping for joy
behind the baseline.
Williams broke early in
the second set and raced to
a 5-1 lead before Keys held,
denying victory for one more
game the woman who in-
spired her to take up tennis.
Sharapova needed 10
minutes to hold in her open-
ing service game, fending off
two break points, in the ear-
OLHUVHPL¿QDOV6KHUHVSRQG-
ed to the only service break
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winning six straight games
and seizing control of the
match from the 10th-seed-
ed Makarova, who had only
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previous matches.
Sharapova won the Aus-
tralia Open title in 2008 but
was comprehensively beaten
in the championship matches
in 2007, by then unseeded
Williams, and in 2012 by
Victoria Azarenka.
7KH ¿YHWLPH PDMRU ZLQ-
ner opened the 2015 season
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the Brisbane International ti-
tle but had a close call in the
second round here, having
to save match points against
No. 150-ranked Russian
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Since then, she hasn’t faced
a set point.
“It’s been a strange road
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I’m happy,” said Sharapova,
who is now into her 10th
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from behind in a few, real-
ly behind in one — saving
match points. I felt like I was
given a second chance. I just
wanted to take my chances.”
Irish shock Blue Devils
“We have to regroup and try
to do the little things.”
Duke coach Mike Krzyze-
SOUTH BEND, Ind. —
Duke missed too many op- wski said a key was the Blue
portunities to knock off No- Devils’ inability to extend the
lead after opening a 10-point
tre Dame.
The No. 4 Blue Devils lead with less than 13 min-
had 13 offensive rebounds utes left, with a turnover
EXW WKH\ ¿QLVKHG ZLWK MXVW and allowing Notre Dame to
nine second-chance points, rebound after a missed free
were 10 of 20 from the free- throw and make a basket.
“Those are the critical
throw line, and didn’t make
D VKRW IURP WKH ÀRRU LQ WKH plays that if you make then
¿QDO DV WKH 1R ,ULVK you don’t have the end of the
rallied for a 77-73 victory on game,” Krzyzewski said.
The end of the game was
Wednesday night.
“There were just some DOO-HULDQ*UDQW+H¿QLVKHG
small things, and if we had with 23 points and 12 assists,
capitalized on them, things DQG LQ WKH ¿QDO VHFRQGV
could have swung our way,” hit a jumper just as the shot
Duke guard Tyus Jones said. clock expired.
Associated Press
