Brady's bomb to Moss epitomizes Patriots

ON FOOTBALL

Trailing the New York Football Giants 28-23 with just over 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter Saturday night, Tom Brady attempted to do what he had done so many times this perfect season.

He launched an airtight spiral toward wide-open Randy Moss, his favorite target who had broken away from his inferior opponents in the Giants secondary. But as God-like as Brady is, his arm is human, and the pass came up short.

Moss nearly made a shoestring catch — he has, after all, caught balls thrown between two defenders and directly at defenders this season — but couldn't hold on. The ball fell to the ground.

What happened next is why New England is a summit above the rest of the NFL. With the Patriots facing 3rd-and-10 from their own 35-yard line, Moss ran the same 9 route to the same spot. After catching his breath, there he was racing by himself down the right sideline. And after refueling his right arm, there was Brady releasing another low-arcing spiral in Moss' direction.

And this time, No. 81 didn't have to break stride. The ball hit him in the chest, and he was gone.

The Patriots regained the lead. You know the story from there. A 16-0 unblemished record. A rather loquacious Bill Belichick at the postgame podium.

But back to the juiciest minute of the night. Actually, the touchdown wasn't even designed for Moss. Brady's main option was diminutive receiver Wes Welker, who was running a short route. But when the defenders bit on Welker's cut, there was Moss, running untouched down the sideline. And Brady had no qualms about finding his tallest target one more time, about throwing one more 65-yard pass.

And Moss didn't complain about running approximately 200 yards in the course of a minute or two. (Yes, he could be a track star if he wasn't so good at catching footballs.)

Seriously, how many teams will run their premier receiver 65 yards down the sideline on consecutive plays? How many teams will trust their quarterback to throw back-to-back deep balls, especially after the first one came up well short?

That's one of many reasons New England stands alone as the lone NFL team to go 16-0. Yes, it helps having the career leaders for touchdown passes and TD catches in a season. But that doesn't take away from the genius behind having Moss run an identical route.

The thing about the Patriots, is they've always made the right calls. It's never mattered if they throw the ball on 27 consecutive plays or run it 10 straight times. They do what Belichick, Brady and Co. think will work at the time.

So forget running a draw to mix up the defense. Or looking for the tight end over the middle. If Moss could beat the secondary once, he could do it again, right?

"I wish I could have made a better throw," Brady said about the first pass, which was designed for Moss.

But, I'm sure, Brady's not fretting over the bad throw a day later.

Because these Patriots, although not perfect every play, are rather quick to correct their mistakes — even in the course of a New York Minute.

And that's just another reason they stand an impeccable 16-0, just three wins away from the ultimate zenith of football success.

Kentucky hits rock bottom

ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Maybe several years from now, Billy Gillespie will sit back, take a long gulp of his drink, let out a smile and — finally — a long chuckle when thinking about his first season as Kentucky men's basketball coach.

Maybe. But that's in the future.

For now, Gillespie couldn't force a smile if he tried.

His Wildcats hit rock bottom Saturday afternoon. Playing in front of their hometown fans, they fell to sub-.500 San Diego of the West Coast Conference 81-72. The loss dropped Kentucky to 5-6, with two of their L's coming against Gardner-Webb and San Diego.

Yes, the nation's most storied college basketball program is a mess. For now.

Consider some of the happenings late in Saturday's game.

There was senior leader Joe Crawford committing two asinine fouls 20-plus feet from the basket, which put San Diego at the free-throw line. And the Toreros made 32 of 36 from the line.

Crawford also killed the Wildcats by traveling in the final minutes.

Somehow the Wildcats allowed San Diego's Devin Ginty, a walk-on freshman, to score 18 points. Ginty had taken a total of eight shots in the previous 14 games.

With about two minutes remaining, Kentucky's Perry Stevenson made the cardinal sin for a player, saving the ball from under the Toreros' basket right into the hands of San Diego's diminutive point guard Brandon Johnson, who subsequently laid the ball in for a commanding 10-point lead.

Even Kentucky's sensational freshman, big man Patrick Patterson, made a bonehead play, throwing the ball right back to the Toreros after they turned it over in the final minute.

And that was it. The blue-clad fans raced toward the exits.

It should be noted that Saturday's loss by Kentucky wasn't just a result of poor play by the Wildcats. San Diego played out of its mind. Johnson took full advantage of the opportunity to play on national TV by showing off his stellar ballhandling and penetration skills, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds. And San Diego made nine of 16 3-pointers.

But a good, or even decent, Kentucky team wouldn't have allowed this to happen. Several of the Wildcats' previous five losses could be attributed, in part, to the absence of a pair of key cogs in Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper, but both played double-digit minutes on Saturday (although neither appeared at full-strength).

(Kentucky wasn't helped when confused freshman Alex Legion recently transferred to Illinois.)

Common sense says that Gillespie will get this nasty boar back in its cage by next season or the next. After all, if he could build Texas A&M — and its lack of basketball tradition — into a Sweet 16 team, he must have the tools to do likewise in Lexington, right?

But that doesn't mean Ashley Judd and the rest of Wildcat Nation shouldn't worry. Consider the immense parity that has taken over college basketball. Just a state away from Rupp Arenas, Bruce Pearl has transformed Tennessee into an annual national title contender. And now, three and a half hours away in Nashville, SEC foe Vanderbilt is undefeated and gaining confidence.

So there no longer are guarantees for Kentucky. Recruits have plenty of options to think about. Gillespie can't simply drop the Kentucky moniker and expect blue-chip high-schoolers to migrate to him and his lavish practice facility.

Oh, he'll get some players. How can a guy who purportedly manages just three hours of sleep a night not land players with similar work ethics?

But the competition, both in Kentucky's region and conference, is as good as ever. And if the Wildcats continue playing like they did Saturday, it will be a difficult journey back to the peak of college hoops supremacy.

Regardless of Gillespie's insomniac habits.

Lakers overcome distraction, become contender

ON BASKETBALL

It was a Christmas Day Miracle, really.

There were the mighty, high-flying, running-and-gunning Phoenix Suns, the lock this season to win the Western Conference's Pacific Division and roll into the playoffs as one of the top few seeds.

But they weren't the miracle. The miracle workers were the guys in yellow jerseys.

There was Kobe Bryant, the subject of trade speculation for the past eight months. In May, he said he wanted to be traded — for sure — then recanted ... then said he wanted out again.

Leading up to the season, all the talk in Laker Land revolved around No. 24 leaving. Chicago? New York? He was bound for the East Coast.

The discussion continued into the regular season, but somehow the Lakers played through it. While the Chicago Bulls couldn't overcome the Kobe Talk to play half-decent basketball, the Lakers managed to play .500 ball.

And Bryant showed why he's the NBA's best talent, hearing all the whispers in one ear and coach Phil Jackson in the other. On opening night, there he was — almost leading the Lakers back from a 12-point hole in the final minute, 36 seconds.

Say what you want about Bryant's arrogance, his selfishness at times, but you can't say he ever gives up in a game. He didn't on that night, and he hasn't since then.

And while a month and a half ago, I thought the Lakers with Kobe needed another marquee player — such as Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal — to make a serious run in the mighty West, I don't think so anymore. This team, with its current makeup, is capable of challenging the Suns, the Mavericks, the Jazz ... and maybe even the Spurs (OK, probably not the Spurs, but neither can the aforementioned squads).

The main reason: the play of Andrew Bynum, the 20-year-old kid who has grown thick skin and ignored all the clamors by L.A. fans — and the media — that he needs to be traded for a big-name, proven veteran.

On Christmas, the 7-footer was at his best, skying for a slew of easy alley-oops, causing the Suns to play a bigger, slower lineup than usual — and then out-muscling those guys, including Amare Stoudemire, for 12 rebounds. He finished with a career-high 28 points, the dozen boards, four assists and two blocked shots.

And after the Lakers' 122-115 win, don't look now, but ... but ... but a certain team in gold uniforms sits just a game back of the mighty Suns.

And maybe — just maybe — the trade talk has died down for now.

With Bynum averaging 12.5 points, 10.1 boards and 2.1 blocks a game. With Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar anchoring the point guard position, a veteran leading a youngster who will eventually steal all his minutes. With Lamar Odom and Bynum holding strong in the post. With high-flyer Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton — when he returns from injury — providing a variety of skills at the small-forward position. ... these Lakers, at 18-10 and on a three-game winning streak, look like contenders.

Wait — I forgot to mention one player: um, Kobe Bryant?

That's right. When one can talk about the Lakers without mentioning the longest-tenured player in the NBA, you know there's a little talent around him.

In the fourth quarter Tuesday, it was Kobe Time. Bryant knocked down an array of fall-away jumpers from all over the court to score 12 of his game-high 38. He was the center of the show. The player whom kids are trying to emulate on playgrounds all over L.A. today.

But he's no longer the only show in town, folks. Bynum, Odom, Ariza, Fisher...

Learn the names, kids. Because if this keeps up, they'll be making just as much noise as their celebrated teammate well into the spring.

Home-field advantage could hurt Patriots

ON FOOTBALL

Late Sunday afternoon, with the sun setting above Gillette Stadium, all was bliss for the New England Patriots.

On a clean field, in good conditions, Tom Brady and Randy Moss continued their attack on the NFL's record books, hooking up twice in the Patriots' easy 28-7 win over hapless Miami.

New England is now 15-0, just one win away from a perfect regular season. It has home-field advantage locked up throughout the AFC playoffs. It has nothing to play for but perfection.

Only a Herculean effort will take down these Patriots. Only a close-to-perfect game. But it's possible, and the way the playoffs are shaping up, a visiting team might benefit from a trip to Foxboro.

(Note: Please wait to call me nonsensical until the end of this column.)

With Willie Parker done for the season, I don't consider Pittsburgh a threat to upend New England. No way, no how. And whoever gets that final wild card spot — the Titans or the Browns — probably won't make it past the first weekend, and even if they do, the Patriots will dispose of them.

So that leaves three teams, three challengers to the Patriots.

Let's start with the team that has the best chance of getting by New England, the Colts. Sure, Peyton Manning's great, but running back Joseph Addai makes that offense click. If the wind is swirling and there is rain or snow in Foxboro, expect Addai to get several carries.

And while New England's Laurence Maroney has been great the past couple weeks, I still give the edge to Addai. With Brady unable to throw accurate deep balls to Moss — unlike the bomb that jump-started New England's comeback win in Indy during the regular season — the Colts could pull the upset on the road.

The same can be said of the Chargers. Yes, Philip Rivers can't hold Brady's Q-tip, but — again — if the conditions are poor and the running game becomes crucial, I like the combination of LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner and Darren Sproles to expose the weaknesses in New England's front seven. A mistake-free game by the Chargers could result in a win.

Finally, not to be forgotten, are the Jaguars, who are playing some of the league's best football right now. Running back Fred Taylor seems rejuvenated by reaching the 10,000-yard mark and subsequently being snubbed — yet again — by the Pro Bowl (how has he never made the "nobody cares" game?). Combines his cutback running with the power-forward motor of Maurice Jones-Drew, and the Jags have the rushing attack to eat up a lot of clock with Brady, Moss & Co. on the sideline.

So call me stupid, call me dumb, but forget all you because it's my birthday: If the New England weather cooperates and turns Gillette Field into a giant snow tub or Hurricane Shula, one of the aforementioned teams will knock off the mighty Patriots, sending Brady weeping back to Giselle, making Bill Belichick lash out at the refs, and causing the rest of the United States to breath a sigh of relief that Boston doesn't win everything.

Sure, it's as far-fetched as Belichick talking during a press conference, but nothing makes much sense these days.

Such as the Patriots winning too much for their own good.

Michigan shows life against UCLA

ON BASKETBALL

If college basketball games were 30 minutes, I'd be breaking down the Michigan men's basketball team's biggest win in probably 10 years.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines — as we all know — games last 40 minutes, and the eighth-ranked Bruins (11-1) wore down Michigan to win 69-54.

The game was much closer than the final score indicated. From the start, John Beilein had his players energized while the Bruins — who absolutely massacred the Wolverines a year ago — simply went through the motions.

Despite throwing up some of the nastiest bricks in the first 10 minutes, Michigan recovered from an 8-0 hole by switching between Beilein's patented 1-3-1 zone — which forced UCLA to throw several ineffective lob passes — and man-to-man defense. UCLA didn't respond well to either of Michigan's looks, turning the ball over 11 times in the half.

Additionally, despite Michigan's smaller lineup acting as the David to UCLA's Goliath frontcourt anchored by freshman beast Kevin Love, the Wolverines held their own on the boards and came up with every single loose ball.

And 3-pointers by DeShawn Sims and C.J. Lee to close out the half gave Michigan a 27-24 lead heading into the locker room.

But while Michigan's youth aided it in playing loose and energetic in the first half, it came back to bite it after the Wolverines shot out to a 36-28 second-half lead.

All of a sudden, there was a change in body language. I could tell — watching my HD TV — that the Wolverines had started to think about the finish line, about the possibility of upsetting a national title contender.

Michigan tightened up, and the turnovers destroyed them. A UCLA 3-pointer followed by four points off Michigan miscues, and the Bruins were within a point. The Wolverines hung around for a few more minutes, but once UCLA finally regained the lead 45-43 with 8:40 to play, the outcome wasn't really in doubt.

For the final 8 minutes, UCLA played like, well, UCLA. Crisp passing, deadly shooting — particularly by Josh Shipp (19 points, three 3s) — and hands-in-the-passing-lanes defense. When the Bruins are playing well, you know why. There was nothing esoteric about them dominating the boards down the stretch and making their free throws. There are many reasons why they've been to consecutive Final Fours.

The Wolverines, however, continue to search for their identity, for their catharsis for when things begin to go downhill. On Saturday, they didn't have a response to UCLA's final push. They didn't have a guy they could give the ball to and tell to create. They didn't have a big man like Love they could get the ball to.

It's just the state of the current team.

Michigan is now 4-8 heading into Big Ten play. Last year, it was 12-3 — and there was talk about making the NCAA tournament. But last year's team also go beat by that absurd 37 points in Westwood, Calif.

So is this year's squad, under a new coach, better?

When it plays like it did for three quarters of Saturday's game, the answer is a resounding "yes."

Progress this season can't be judged by wins and losses. If you're foolish enough to judge the Wolverines that way, you'll be greatly disappointed.

Rather, are the Wolverines learning Beilein's 3-point shooting system? Are they tightening up that 1-3-1 zone? Are they coming together as a group, gaining confidence in each other?

Those are the measuring sticks by which to judge these Wolverines.

And if they play with the same verve with which they did for an hour-plus Saturday, they'll pull a couple surprises in the Big Ten as well.

Finally, Duke looks vulnerable

ON BASKETBALL

Late in the first half Thursday night, the Duke Blue Devils were cruising again.

Freshman Taylor King swished one of his patented 3s, and Duke found itself up a seemingly insurmountable 16 points on No. 11 Pittsburgh.

But the thing was, Duke hadn't looked that impressive in building its 34-18 advantage. It hadn't gotten out in transition and scored in bunches. It hadn't shot the 3 that well, making just three triples. More than Duke being effective, Pitt had been ineffective.

In the final minute of the first half and the second half and overtime, the Panthers woke up. Duke still showed its grit, tying the game late in regulation on a 3 by freshman Kyle Singler, but in the end Pitt guard Levance Fields threw the final punch, stepping back to drain the game-winning 3 with six seconds remaining.

And No. 6 Duke (10-1) suffered its first loss, 65-64.

It happened because Duke's lack of size upfront finally hurt it. After both teams pulled down 19 first-half rebounds, the Panthers — led by haughty, 6-7 DeJuan Blair, who had 15 points and 20 rebounds — dominated the boards in the final 25 minutes, outrebounding the Devils 49-31 in the game.

Additionally, the Panthers continued to deny Duke any fast-break opportunities, making the Devils actually run their halfcourt offense. And Duke actually forced shots — something that never happened in its first 10 games.

After the game, former Dukie — and ESPN announcer — Jay Bilas, said it bluntly:

"This game was about toughness, and Pitt was the tougher team in the Garden."

No doubt about it.

The loss could be a blessing for the Devils, who don't play again until Jan. 6 against Cornell. It brings them down to earth, and Mike Krzyzewski will have a fun time working them hard — more than likely with physically-demanding drills — once they return from a short Christmas break.

But Pitt's dramatic win was a blueprint for how to slow down Duke:

Hit the boards hard, not allowing any second-chance opportunities — Duke had just seven offensive rebounds.

Don't leave 3-point shooters open — Duke made 4-of-19 from behind the arc.

And don't let the Devils run — I can't recall any fast-break points by Duke in the second half. Of course, Pitt's 16 second-chance points in the half helped to slow down the Devils.

Let's not forget, however, we wouldn't even be talking about a Duke loss if not for Fields' big shot.

Yes, Duke now has a loss. But it's difficult to render whether the "L" will hurt or help the Devils more as they head into ACC play.

Pistons remain the beasts of the East

ON BASKETBALL

In the early stages of Wednesday's Eastern Conference showdown between 20-2 Boston and 17-7 Detroit, the young point guard was playing better.

He was getting to the basket at will. He was spotting up for mid-range jumpers. He was playing turnover-free basketball, while the veteran — with his new five-year contract — carelessly lost the ball on the other end.

Yes, Boston's Rajon Rondo was the star of the first quarter, helping the Celtics establish a lead they would hold for most of the night.

But the Pistons rarely get blown out, especially in highly-hyped, national-televised games. And such was the case Wednesday.

First, there was 37-year-old point guard Lindsey Hunter harassing Eddie House all the way down the court, creating two turnovers and knocking down a guarded 3 to help Detroit take the lead.

And, finally, there was that veteran PG, the man called "Mr. Big Shot" — a moniker that fit very nicely on this night. After Boston tied the game with two 3-pointers in the final minute, there was Billups, with just a second to get off his shot, giving a most convincing head fake...

And poor Tony Allen. He had no chance. Caught in the air, he fouled Billups at the worst time: with 0.1 left on the clock. Billups is a 91 percent free-throw shooter.

I don't usually pencil in games — especially ones that are tied. But when Billups stepped to the line, I said to my dad — who was on the phone watching from Michigan — "That's the ballgame."

And two free throws later, the Pistons (18-7) remained the Beasts of the East.

Not that any game in December really matters. We all know nothing is proved until May and June. That's why Phoenix could sweep San Antonio during the regular season and I'd still bet my two sofas on the Spurs come the playoffs.

But with both teams playing close to full strength — the Pistons were without rookie guard Rodney Stuckey, who has missed the entire season so far — a lot can be gleaned from the Pistons' 87-85 win.

— These teams, easily the East's best two squads, will be very competitive the rest of the year and into the playoffs. There are too many big-time players on both teams.

— The Pistons should have posted Billups on Rondo more early and often. Likely because of this advantage, Boston coach Doc Rivers pulled Rondo in the final two minutes for House, who also has 3-point range, unlike Rondo, and hit a big one as part of Boston's comeback.

— Detroit was saved by the 3-point shot, making 9-of-20 from downtown. Boston was the more physical team, outrebounding Detroit 37-34 and getting to the basket more often. The Pistons won't always shoot that well from 3-point range.

— The Pistons were able to slow down Kevin Garnett when they put the physical, bulky Jason Maxiell on him. Although Garnett scored a team-high 26 points, he had just five in the fourth, all of which he had to earn from the free-throw line.

— Another reason Detroit was able to hold the Celtics to just 33 second-half points was Tayshaun Prince's defense of Paul Pierce. While Prince was awful offensively (1-of-10, 2 points), he held Boston's leading scorer to 11 points on 5-for-16 shooting. With Prince on Pierce, Maxiell coming in to bang with Garnett, and Richard Hamilton draped over Ray Allen, Detroit can at least contain the Big Three — although Allen was near unstoppable, hitting 9-of-13 contested shots for 24 points.

— Rondo (14 points, 7 assists, 2 turnovers) was very efficient, but as seen by Rivers' late substitution, the coach still doesn't have complete confidence in the second-year player's ability to make the right decisions at the end of a game. But overall, Rondo was impressive.

So there you have it. Before the game, the Celtics admitted that Detroit is still the team to beat in the East, and Wednesday's result doesn't change that.

When the Pistons are on their game and aren't letting their yapping at the referees — they complain about every stinkin' call — get in the way of their execution, they are hard to beat. They're a great road team that isn't flustered by noisy crowds and fourth-quarter deficits.

And, most importantly, they have Mr. Big Shot. Boston doesn't.

In the course of a game, the Big Three might be more effective than Billups. But if he and his teammates can stay in a game until the end, it is worth betting on Billups hitting the winning shot or drawing the crucial foul in the final seconds.

Wednesday's game was unpredictable for the first 47:59. What occurred in the final second, however, wasn't surprising at all. Mr. Big Shot to the rescue.