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PACQUIAO GRAND ARRIVAL IN VEGAS watch video

Manny Pacquiao made his grand arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, marking the first time in the world champion’s career the Las Vegas ceremony didn’t take place at Mandalay Bay.

Although Pacquiao is known to be superstitious — he stays in the same hotel room at Mandalay Bay for each of his Las Vegas fights — head trainer Freddie Roach said Tuesday’s change wouldn’t throw off his fighter.

“He is superstitious, but stuff like that he doesn’t care about,” Roach said with a shrug.

“Of course,” he added, “He’ll still be staying in the same room.”

Pacquiao’s fans certainly had no trouble tracking him down, as they packed their way into the hotel’s lobby to catch a final glimpse of the Filipino before his WBO welterweight title fight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

By the time Cotto arrived 90 minutes later, the scene had noticeably died down a bit.

After months of promoting the fight with the reigning pound-for-pound king, however, Cotto says he’s used to Pacquiao’s crowd and that it hasn’t affected his mindset coming into the fight.

“I’ve known since we agreed to do this fight that it’s just going to be me and him in the ring,” Cotto said. “When we get in there, no one can help Manny. No one can hand him something to hit me with.

“I expected it to be like this. Everything Manny has, he has earned.”


Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO) is seeking a world title in an unprecedented seventh weight class when he takes on Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) Saturday night.

He claimed his first on Dec. 4, 1998, when he defeated Chatchai Sasakul for the WBC flyweight title in his 25th professional fight.

As time progressed and opportunities at world titles in heavier weight classes continued to present themselves, Pacquiao transformed from the 105-pound fighter he started his career as to a legitimate welterweight contender.

A transformation of such magnitude actually, that he says he can barely recognize the kid he once was.

“I watch the tape when I was fighting at 105 pounds and I think, ‘I’m just a kid,’” Pacquiao said. “I think back to moving up to 108, then 112, 115, 118, up to welterweight — I can’t believe it. It’s just happened.”

In addition to world titles, another incentive for Pacquiao to move up in weight (at least initially) may have been a desire to stop cutting weight — a process Pacquiao admits was difficult in the early stages of his career.

“It was a struggle,” he said. “When I captured my first title in the flyweight division, I lost my belt because I didn’t make the weight. I decided after that fight to move up to 122 pounds.”

Cutting down won’t be an issue this week, as Roach said they’re feeding Pacquiao five times per day to keep the weight on.

According to his trainer, Pacquiao weighed 148 pounds Tuesday morning and will weigh-in right at 145 for the Nevada Athletic Commission on Friday.

“When he doesn’t have to miss a meal and can eat before weigh-in, which he’ll do twice, he’s happy,” Roach said. “He’ll weigh 149 to 150 pounds at most on fight night. I don’t like him gaining too much weight before the fight.”

While Pacquiao has shown the ability to maintain his speed no matter how much weight he adds, Roach said he believes this will be the last stop in his move up the weight classes.

“With the right opponent we could move up again,” Roach said. “But for top-level guys, I think this is it.”

The historical implications of Saturday night is enough that Pacquiao’s father, Rosalio, will travel to the U.S. from the Philippines to watch his son box live for the first time.

Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, saw her son live for the first time in May when he fought Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.

“It is the first time my father is coming so I am very excited, he wanted to see this fight,” Pacquiao said. “This is a very important fight for me because I can do it, it’s going to be history in boxing. It’s an honor.”

NBA great Abdul-Jabbar has rare form of leukemia




NEW YORK (AP)—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday.

The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn’t give any guarantees, but informed him: “You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle.”

Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease. He is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness.

Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated.

“I’ve never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives,” he said at a midtown Manhattan conference room. “It’s incumbent on someone like me to talk about this.”

Abdul-Jabbar became concerned last year after feeling odd sensations. He went for tests at UCLA, where he dominated college basketball in the late 1960s, winning three straight NCAA championships from 1967-69.

“I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis,” he said. “That’s not normal, even for my age.”

An exam showed his white blood cell count was “sky high” and a doctor quickly diagnosed his condition. At first, all Abdul-Jabbar heard was the word “leukemia.”

“I was scared,” he said. “I thought it was all the same. I thought it could mean I have a month to live.”

“That was my first question,” he said. “Was I going to make it?”

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento Kings

Oklahoma City (3-3) at Sacramento (3-4)

Kevin Durant’s(notes) continued emergence has the Oklahoma City Thunder taking positive steps in his third season. The Sacramento Kings may be making progress even quicker than they expected behind their own budding star.

Rookie Tyreke Evans(notes) looks to lead the Kings to a third straight victory Tuesday night as they host Oklahoma City, which will try to build on a shockingly lopsided win.

The Thunder (3-3) had been hoping Durant’s presence at the center of their young core would propel them toward contention this season, and Sunday’s 102-74 victory over Orlando may have been their most positive sign.

While Durant was 11 of 17 from the field for 28 points, with point guard Russell Westbrook(notes) chipping in with 17 points and 10 assists, it was the team’s effort at the other end of the floor that gained the attention of Durant.

Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Superman




As Manny Pacquiao squeezed into a bright red padded spandex leotard, complete with a yellow belt and matching goggles, the symbolism was as fitting as the outfit was ridiculous.

Who knows whether Pacquiao fully appreciated the comical nature of the scene, played out on a movie set a few months ago, yet one of the perks of being boxing’s premier superstar is that no one’s going to poke too much fun at you.

In any case, the casting of the fight game’s current favorite son as Wapakman, a Filipino film about a swashbuckling superhero, is especially fitting in the lead-up to his showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday with Miguel Cotto.

The Pacquiao tale has always been one filled with intrigue and inspiration, how the boy from the back streets of a troubled city left home at 14 and sold fish and doughnuts to make ends meet before rising to the top of the toughest sport of all.

Yet after dismantling Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in his past two fights, Pacquiao’s popularity has gone stratospheric. With his homeland of the Philippines recently ravaged by natural disasters in the form of typhoons, flooding and landslides, he has morphed from a source of pride to a symbol of hope, and taken on a status that borders on mythological.

Or superhuman.

In the absence of a public figure with sufficient gravitas or charisma to lift the spirits of a nation brought to its knees by corruption, poor governance and forces of nature, the citizens have instead turned to Pacquiao, with attention focused on his fight with Cotto like none of his previous 54 encounters.

The 30-year-old has become a cultural phenomenon, who can draw crowds of thousands simply to catch a glimpse of his face and whose freakish fighting abilities stop traffic, crime and the regular breathing patterns of a nation that turns hysterical when he takes to the ring.

However, while many love to portray the evolving Pacquiao story as an uplifting tour de force of humanitarianism and joy in the face of adversity, reality is somewhat different.

Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks

Houston (4-2) at Dallas (4-2)

The return of Josh Howard(notes) brings the Dallas Mavericks more balance.

It seems the Houston Rockets have little choice but to go that route offensively.

These in-state rivals play Tuesday night for the first time since Dallas cost Houston its first division title in 15 years.

The Rockets had the Southwest Division crown and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference within their grasp going into their final game of the 2008-09 season, but they lost 95-84 in Dallas. That gave San Antonio the Southwest title while Houston settled for the fifth seed, one spot ahead of the Mavericks.

Both teams would lose in the conference semifinals and they appear capable of getting at least that far this season after strong starts, though Dallas (4-2) no longer has major injury problems while Houston (4-2) will have some all season.

As the Rockets await Tracy McGrady’s(notes) return and know Yao Ming(notes) won’t be back, the Mavericks saw Howard make his season debut Saturday in a 129-101 win over Toronto.

Dallas had five players score in double figures for the first time en route to its highest point total of the season. Only one player scored more than 20 - Dirk Nowitzki(notes) (29) - for the sixth straight game, but three others came close as Jason Terry(notes) had 19, Shawn Marion(notes) 18 and Howard 16.

Washington Wizards vs Miami Heat

Washington (2-5) at Miami (5-1)

A lack of selfishness and a focus on defense are doing wonders for the Miami Heat.

Coming off their best win of the season, the Heat look to continue their best start in 10 years Tuesday night and extend the recent woes of the visiting Washington Wizards.

Miami (5-1) is holding opponents to a league-low 41.6 percent from the field and ranks among the league leaders in points allowed at 90.7 per game.

The result has been the best start for the Heat since opening 6-1 in 1999-2000. They achieved that feat Friday with a 96-88 victory over a Denver team which had been unbeaten.

“We’re definitely excited and we definitely see we can be pretty good,” offseason acquisition Quentin Richardson(notes) said. “But it’s all about continuously working and trying to get better. … It just feels good to know that we’re going out there and getting some tough wins.”

The victory over last season’s Western Conference finalist surely was a confidence boost after the Heat’s previous four wins came against teams which didn’t finish 2008-09 with winning records.

Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats

Orlando (5-2) at Charlotte (3-3)

Their record may indicate otherwise, but Stan Van Gundy certainly isn’t convinced the Orlando Magic are a very good team right now.

After their latest performance, it’d be hard to disagree.

The Magic look to bounce back from one of their most lopsided defeats in years Tuesday night when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats.

Orlando’s five wins have come by an average of 12.4 points, and the common cog to those victories has been outstanding shooting. The Magic (5-2) have made 49.8 percent of their shots in those five games, 44.4 percent from 3-point range.

It’s been a far different story for Van Gundy’s team in its two losses. The Magic have shot 36.7 percent from the field and hit 25.5 percent from beyond the arc, droughts that rarely happened as they rode their hot shooting to the NBA finals last season.

Orlando hit 3 of 16 from 3-point range Sunday in a 102-74 loss at Oklahoma City, the second-most lopsided defeat in Van Gundy’s three seasons at the helm.

Suns top century mark for eighth straight game to open season

PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Nash heard the whispers in the offseason.

He chose to ignore them.

Opting to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns sure looks to have been the right decision for the All-Star point guard.

Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Nash added 21

points and tied his season-high with 20 assists and the Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-115 on Monday night.

"I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my options," Nash said. "Some people said I was a little crazy going back to Phoenix because I wouldn't have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and coaches and I was comfortable."

Was he ever.
Nash registered the first 20-20 in points and assists in the league since he accomplished the feat in 2005-06 -- a 28-point, 22-assist performance Jan. 2, 2006, at New York. Those 22 assists still represent a career high.

"I felt good and had energy, even after a game last night," Nash said. "I felt pretty energized in the fourth quarter when we made our run and pulled away."

The Suns eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the eighth straight game to open a season, which hadn't happened since the 1990-91 season.

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