Rasheed Wallace

Rasheed Wallace has been bothered by a left foot injury most of the season. New York Knicks Coach Mike Woodson told reporters Wednesday morning the veteran player was still struggling with soreness and might not be available for the playoff opener against Boston this weekend. Soon after, Woodson learned Wallace would not play in that game -- or any other. The Knicks announced Wallace's retirement after 15 seasons in the NBA later in the morning. “Rasheed has given this team everything he had,” Woodson said in the statement.

Rasheed Wallace has been bothered by a left foot injury most of the season. New York Knicks Coach Mike Woodson told reporters Wednesday morning the veteran player was still struggling with soreness and might not be available for the playoff opener against Boston this weekend. Soon after, Woodson learned Wallace would not play in that game -- or any other. The Knicks announced Wallace's retirement after 15 seasons in the NBA later in the morning. “Rasheed has given this team everything he had,” Woodson said in the statement.

Rasheed Wallace, new member of the Boston Celtics, thinks his team can make a run at the supposedly unbreakable record set by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96: a 72-win season. "Oh definitely," Wallace told the Sporting News. "Definitely, playing with those three other guys [Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen], also combining that with the guys we have on the bench, I think we definitely can. Me personally, I think we can get that Bulls record. You know we have the talent for it. We have the will for it and . . . I think we have the defense for it."

The Rose Bowl game needs a new presenting sponsor after Citi, the financial conglomerate that had put its name on the New Year's Day event for the last seven years, decided not to renew. Though the Tournament of Roses has some say in the matter, ESPN handles the negotiations because it owns the broadcast rights. Citi's decision to walk away appeared to result from several factors, including an uncertain economy and the fact that ESPN, having acquired the rights to all the Bowl Championship Series games, has asked for a broader commitment from sponsors, a Rose Bowl official said.

North Carolina players don't quite know what to make of their star center, Rasheed Wallace, but they certainly would never leave the hotel without him. There are locker-room pools as to which Wallace jumps center at tip-off: the 6-foot-10 possible NBA lottery pick with the feathery touch, or another Dennis Rodman. Of playing alongside the sophomore Wallace, senior forward Pat Sullivan says, "Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's great.

'I ain't got no anger problem. Not at all. I just take my job seriously.' Rasheed Wallace, Portland Trail Blazer forward, denying reports that he has attended anger management classes

(LA) '[Wallace] was probably one of the most underrated defensive players in this league, and he came to work every day. He was a fun guy to be around and a fun guy to play with.'. Dale Davis, Portland center, on Rasheed Wallace, who was traded by the Trail Blazers to Atlanta

FIRST QUARTER LAKERS 22 DETROIT 21 Highlight reel: Gary Payton may be having an NBA Finals to forget, but he hooked up with Shaquille O'Neal for a basket that left the Pistons calling for offensive goaltending. Payton drove the lane and lofted a teardrop shot that was caught by O'Neal, who dunked the ball before it reached the rim. Not in the box score: After picking up two quick fouls, the Lakers' Devean George went to the bench and was replaced by 13-year veteran Rick Fox.

Rasheed Wallace walked off to a standing ovation rather than exiting with a stream of expletives. Making a loud statement during the game instead of before or after it, Wallace scored 20 points in his best performance in a month to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Indiana Pacers, 85-78, on Wednesday night. Detroit controlled the game with its defense and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. Game 4 is Friday night.

So, Larry Brown is upset that NBA referees have it in for Rasheed Wallace. I guess Brown thought they would forget that when Wallace played for Portland, he was a whiny, spoiled crybaby. Hey, Larry, what goes around comes around. Ralph S. Brax Lancaster Watched Game 2 between Sacramento and Minnesota last Saturday. With the Kings up by 10 with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play, heard color man Bill Walton say, "This is turning into a blowout." During commercial break, left to walk dog. Returned to hear play-by-play announcer say, "And the T-Wolves are down by one!"

The Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace for games like Thursday, Celtics Coach Doc Rivers noted earlier this week. Wallace would be vital to their playoff run, a key veteran cog, and doubts about his productivity or injuries woes didn't worry Rivers at all. In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Wallace proved Rivers right. The 35-year-old forward-center came to the Celtics' aid in their 83-79 loss to the Lakers, filling in capably for starting center Kendrick Perkins, who was out after tearing ligaments in his right knee in Game 6. Wallace scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished two assists and blocked two shots, surprising many with his play in 35 minutes and 36 seconds of floor time that helped keep the Celtics ahead for nearly the entire game.

The Celtics are a never-say-die tribe of ballplayers, but their stubbornness comes in strange ways. Some nights, they're akin to the Lernaean Hydra, the mythological Greek creature that sprouted two heads for every one that got sliced off. But they're resilient all right. They lost Game 1 in the NBA Finals and won Game 2. They lost Game 3 and won Game 4. Now, they're tied with the Lakers at two games apiece as both head into Sunday's Game 5 here. "That's been their MO of late, at least," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said Friday.

There have been questions about Lakers forward Pau Gasol's toughness, about his heart. He eventually had to face his tormentors from Boston, those very Celtics who made the naysayers doubt Gasol's will after he wilted in the 2008 NBA Finals. This time, in the 2010 NBA Finals, against those physical, trash-talking Celtics, Gasol stood tall and firm, refusing to back down, taking his game to new heights in helping the Lakers defeat Boston, 102-89, Thursday night at Staples Center.

Two years ago, Rajon Rondo was the Boston Celtics' question mark as they headed into a Finals showdown with the Lakers. It trailed him as speculators wondered whether the second-year point guard was too green and erratic at 22 to lead veterans against veterans for an NBA title. But 24 months later, Rondo has become the Celtics' exclamation point, one of the NBA's top point guards, and now casts his own shadow, which is growing with every magazine cover he graces and highlight reel he owns.

Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points in his first game as a former Piston at the Palace, where he was a fan favorite. He received a mixed welcome and was booed late in the closely contested game. Wallace's three-point basket pulled Boston within four points with 43.5 seconds to play. Richard Hamilton scored on the ensuing possession to seal Detroit's fourth victory in five games.

at Dallas 96, Utah 85: Dirk Nowitzki scored a club-record 29 of his 40 points during a frantic fourth-quarter comeback to lead the Mavericks. Nowitzki broke the franchise record of 24 points in any quarter set by Mark Aguirre against Denver on March 24, 1984. at Cleveland 102, Washington 90: LeBron James scored 27 points, Shaquille O'Neal had a season-high 21. Cleveland trailed by 18 in the second quarter. Cleveland has won six in a row over Washington at home. Boston 105, at Philadelphia 74: Paul Pierce scored 21 points, Rasheed Wallace had 20 and the Celtics improved to 5-0 even without standout efforts from Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

1. Boston 2008-09 record: 62-20, No. 2 in East. New: Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels. Gone: Stephon Marbury, Leon Powe. Even with last season's worst-case scenario, they still came within a game of the East Finals. With Kevin Garnett back, Wallace adding length they were dying for, a grown-up Rajon Rondo who averaged a triple-double in the playoffs, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, they may be better than their 2008 title team. That's good, since Cleveland is better than last season's 66-win team.

Rasheed Wallace, new member of the Boston Celtics, thinks his team can make a run at the supposedly unbreakable record set by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96: a 72-win season. "Oh definitely," Wallace told the Sporting News. "Definitely, playing with those three other guys [Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen], also combining that with the guys we have on the bench, I think we definitely can. Me personally, I think we can get that Bulls record. You know we have the talent for it. We have the will for it and . . . I think we have the defense for it."