MySports Today

The Boston Celtics needed a 3-point shot from Ray Allen at the buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Philly on Tuesday night. Trailing by 2, Allen nailed the 3-pointer to snatch the win from the 76ers. Allen finished the game with 23 points, while Paul Pierce chipped in 29 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The Celtics played without Kevin Garnett for the 2nd straight game – he is battling the flu. The Celtics are 41-9 and sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 1.5 game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking of the Cavs, the Cavs led the Toronto Raptors 37-15 after 1 quarter and cruised to a 101-83 victory. Lebron James proved his worth again – 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists. Mo Williams also turned in a solid night with 16 points and 9 assists. The Cavs are now 23-0 at home and 38-9 overall. They are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2nd best record in the NBA.

Talks between the Chicago White Sox and outfielder Bobby Abreu have stalled this week after the team offered a possible one year $8 million deal. According to a source, the Sox have some interest in Abreu and adding a pitcher, but until they trade Jermaine Dye and his $11.5 million salary they can’t make any moves. The Seattle Times reported that Abreu is now open to a one year deal but is looking for a base of at least $10 million. Abreu, 34, is a .300 career hitter in 13 season, Abreu, Pujols, and A Rod are the only MLB players who have driven in at least 100 runs in each of the past six seasons.

The topsy-turvy world of the New York Rangers continued into the month of February. Despite the excitement of retiring Adam Graves’ #9 jersey on Tuesday night, the Rangers couldn’t channel that energy into a win over the 2nd worst team in the Eastern Conference – the 39-point Atlanta Thrashers. After 2 scoreless periods, the Thrashers took a 1-0 lead on Joe Mtozko’s 1st goal of the NHL season. The Thrashers and Goalie Kari Lehtonen withstood a barrage of Rangers shots – 40 total shots on goal – until Markus Nasland’s 16th goal of the season tied the game with just 21 seconds left in regulation. Neither team scored in OT, so we were off to a shootout. Rangers Goalie Henrik Lundqvist had been 7-1 in shootout contests during the season, but he allowed the 1st 2 Thrashers to score in the shootout. Lehtonen turned into the star of the night when he stopped shots by Nikolai Zherdev and Fredrik Sjostrom to lock down the improbable win for the Thrashers. Lehtonen saved 39 of 40 shots on goal during regulation, and then 2 of 3 during the shootout, to turn in his best performance of the season against one of the best team’s in the East.

The Rangers, on the other hand, continued to play inconsistent hockey and did not convert on numerous scoring chances. The Rangers missed out on a chance to add 2 more points to their total and still trail the New Jersey Devils by 4 points in the Atlantic Division race and the Montreal Canadiens by 1 point for the race for the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference.