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Celtics beat back Hawks for 110-85 victory in Game 5
By JIMMY GOLEN - AP Sports Writer
BOSTON --Takedowns and menacing gestures. Double technicals and flagrant fouls. And the Boston Celtics are heading to Atlanta to try to deliver the knockout punch.

Paul Pierce scored a playoff-high 22 points and Ray Allen hit three 3-pointers in the middle of the third quarter Wednesday night to turn back the Hawks' last charge, leading Boston to a hard-fought 110-85 victory over Atlanta and giving the Celtics a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Kevin Garnett scored 20 and Allen had 19 to put the Celtics one game away from advancing to the second round. Boston got a huge lift from its bench in the second quarter, when Sam Cassell scored nine points and Leon Powe had seven with five rebounds while holding Al Horford to a pair of baskets.

Joe Johnson, who erupted for 35 points in Game 4 - 20 of them in the fourth quarter - scored 21, and Horford had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta. Mike Bibby continued to struggle in Boston, scoring six while recording one assist for the third straight road game.

The first five games have all gone to the home team, with Game 6 in Atlanta on Friday night. A seventh game, if necessary, would be played in Boston on Sunday, an advantage the Celtics earned with their NBA-best 66-16 record in the regular season.

Boston would like to end it in six and get a break from a physical series that saw another double-technical - when Garnett and Johnson were jawing in the third - and another flagrant foul, when Horford took down Garnett late in the first half.

The top overall seed wasn't expected to have this much trouble in the first round with an Atlanta team that went 37-45 to grab the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. But the Hawks answered two losses in Boston with a pair of victories at home, tying the series 2-2 on Monday night.

Pierce scored 18 in that one, on 5-of-14 shooting, finding out just hours before game time that he had been fined $25,000 by the NBA for a "menacing gesture" - allegedly gang-related - during Game 3. Before Wednesday's game, he issued a statement denying it was a gang sign.

Then he went out and put his hands to a more useful purpose.

After picking up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, Pierce held out a dismissive arm toward coach Doc Rivers as if to say: "Relax."

"I won't foul out," he mouthed.

But Rivers took him out, anyway.

And the Celtics didn't need him.

The Celtics took a 58-43 halftime lead, holding Atlanta without a field goal for half of the second quarter before Horford's putback dunk with 1:05 left. Pierce drove for a layup to start the second half, then Atlanta scored the next 11 points to pull within 60-54.

But Garnett made a turnaround hook shot, then he passed off to Allen to set up a 3-pointer. Pierce drove for another basket and, after Horford's dunk slowed things down temporarily, Kendrick Perkins answered with a follow dunk that made it 69-56.

After a timeout, Garnett blocked Josh Childress and then Allen hit a 3. Allen threw the ball away and helped the Hawks cut the deficit to 12 points, but then he hit another 3-pointer to give Boston a 75-60 lead.
 

Terrelle Pryor: The Next Vince Young or Demetrius Jones?

Raiders agree to $70 million deal to pave way for Hall trade
By JOSH DUBOW - AP Sports Writer
ALAMEDA, Calif. --The Raiders and DeAngelo Hall agreed to terms Thursday on $70 million, seven-year contract that paves the way for the former Pro Bowl cornerback to be dealt from Atlanta to Oakland, a person familiar with the talks said.

Hall arrived in the Bay Area to meet with Raiders owner Al Davis and other team officials Wednesday and the deal was completed the following day, the person said on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made. Hall will be guaranteed a little more than $24 million in the new deal, the person said.

The Raiders wanted to sign Hall to a new contract before completing the deal with the Falcons in order to make sure they would have Hall for more than one year. Oakland will send a second-round pick, the 34th overall, in next month's draft and an additional pick to Atlanta in the deal.

Oakland has already traded its third-round pick in this year's draft to New England for the pick used to select offensive lineman Mario Henderson in 2007, and its fifth-round pick to Denver for defensive tackle Gerard Warren.

The Raiders could try to recoup some of those lost picks by trading either cornerback Fabian Washington or Stanford Routt.

With Hall slated to start opposite standout cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in what should be one of the league's best cover duos, Oakland's top two picks from the 2005 draft will likely be relegated to the bench.

Routt, the second-round pick in '05, moved past first-rounder Washington as the starter last season. Routt is better suited to playing nickel back, possibly making Washington the more likely candidate to be traded.

The Raiders have been very active during the free-agency season after winning just four games last season and a league-low 19 the previous five years.

Oakland has signed defensive tackles Tommy Kelly and William Joseph, receivers Javon Walker and Drew Carter, safety Gibril Wilson, offensive linemen Kwame Harris and Cornell Green to deals that could be worth more than $160 million.

The Raiders also placed the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha, guaranteeing him about $10 million next season, and re-signed running back Justin Fargas to a $12 million, three-year contract that guarantees him $6 million.

Hall was a first-round pick in 2004 and two-time Pro Bowl selection, but he is nearly as well known for his outspoken demeanor. He clashed openly with former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino last season and was benched for a half after a sideline confrontation.

HBCU│Black College Football

Morehouse releases 2008 football Schedule

ATLANTA -- Morehouse College has released its 2008 football schedule.

The 10-game schedule features nine conference games and two classics. Only three of the games will be played at Morehouse’s B.T. Harvey Stadium.

In 2007, under first-year head coach Rich Freeman, the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers compiled a record of 7-3 (4-3 SIAC).

Morehouse’s 4-3 conference record was good enough for fourth place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was well ahead of the tenth-place finish predicted by SIAC football coaches in a preseason poll. More...
 

 Spring training report: Don't count out the Braves in NL East
 Sporting News
In the 23rd of 30 spring training reports, one for each team, Gerry Fraley provides a first-hand look at the Atlanta Braves camp.

Setting the scene: The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have engaged in a spring-training debate as to who is the team to beat in the National League East. The argument overlooks one important point: Atlanta is in the division, too.

The Braves finished third in the East last season, five games out in the division and 5 1/2 games out of the wild card. The Braves led the division through mid-May and were only 1 1/2 games out on July 15. Any discussion of the East should include the Braves.

"I don't take offense at anything the Mets or the Phillies say," Atlanta ace righthander John Smoltz said. "It's not like the PGA [Tour], where people have tried to stand up to Tiger. They feel good about their team. More power to them. We just do things a little different, too."

The Braves were 40-26 in games started by righthander Tim Hudson or Smoltz and 44-52 in all other games. The Braves plan on having a complete turnover in the final three rotation spots.

Atlanta brought back lefthander Tom Glavine, who won 242 games with the Braves from 1987-2002. Glavine, who will be 42 years old on opening day, went 13-8 with the Mets last season. The Mets replaced Glavine with heralded lefthander Johan Santana, who was 15-13 with Minnesota.

The Braves also expect to have lefthander Mike Hampton and righthander Jair Jurrjens in the rotation. Hampton, 35, has not pitched in a major-league game since Aug. 19, 2005, because of various injuries. The Braves have been encouraged by his work this spring, but a recent groin injury slowed Hampton's progress. "He's got winning stuff in his arm," manager Bobby Cox said. "We've got to keep him healthy."

Jurrjens, 22, was 3-1 in seven starts with Detroit last season. The Braves got three wins in 20 starts from Anthony Lerew, Jeff Bennett, Mark Redman, Lance Cormier and Jo-Jo Reyes combined during their turns as the No. 5 starter.

Something old: Smoltz took an unconventional approach this spring, pitching three simulated games against minor-leaguers before facing Tampa Bay on Saturday. He opened with four scoreless innings but could not finish the fifth. He gave up a two-run homer by Carlos Pena and was hurt by first baseman Mark Teixeira's error.

One of Smoltz' goals for the season is to stay stronger throughout the year by throwing fewer pitches. To do that, Smoltz needed to expand his repertoire and become more comfortable with pitches such as the "cut" fastball, which he will use against hitters from either side.

Said Smoltz: "I'm going to have a lot more effect if I'm doing these things. I'm not going to nibble, but I am going to use my pitches."

Something new: While Cox prized former shortstop Edgar Renteria, he nonetheless went along with the trade of Renteria to Detroit because the club had Yunel Escobar ready to take over the position. "Everything about him is excellent," Cox said. Escobar, 25, debuted with the Braves last season and had a .977 fielding percentage with 4.36 chances per nine innings in 53 games at shortstop. Renteria also had a .977 fielding percentage with 4.24 chances per nine innings in 121 games.

"From an ability standpoint, I don't think we're going to miss a beat," Hudson said. "He (Escobar) is as good as I've played with, and I've played with some pretty good ones." In addition to Renteria, Miguel Tejada and Rafael Furcal have played shortstop behind Hudson.

Key competition: Javy Lopez is trying for a second stay with the Braves, this time as the backup catcher. Lopez, 37, made three All-Star teams while with Atlanta from 1992-2003. He did not play last season after being released by Colorado during spring training. So far this spring, the results have been mixed for Lopez. He homered in his first exhibition at-bat but has looked his age at times.

There are three others vying for the position: journeyman Corky Miller and prospects Brayan Pena and Clint Sammons. Those three have a combined 160 games of major-league experience. If the Braves look outside the organization for the backup, Texas' Gerald Laird is a possibility.

Overheard: "It's not like I'm just getting a golf partner back. He's going to win a lot of games for us" - Smoltz, on the return of Glavine.

Wish you were here: Worlds collide with the Braves in the Disneyworld complex. Smoltz picks two lucky teammates -- Glavine and Jeff Francoeur -- to play golf with Tiger Woods, a nearby resident. Two days later, Woods shows up to take some swings against Smoltz. Woods struck out twice, walked once and claimed to have hit a single. The hit was disputed by pitching coach Roger McDowell, however, who said, "I've got the second baseman making that play."

Gerry Fraley, a free-lance baseball writer based in St. Louis, is a regular contributor to Sporting News.

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