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The way they've played so far this season, the odds favor a first-round sweep even if the Bulls do make the playoffs. But the schedule offers a golden opportunity for this 14-19 team to climb back to .500.

Nucor Corp., the largest U.S. steelmaker, is pushing President-elect Barack Obama's transition team to ensure U.S.-made steel is used in government economic-stimulus projects.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh wasn't aware what discussions Stephon Marbury was having with other teams, a day after a report indicated that the banished guard could end up in Boston. However, while the report said Marbury's ability to secure his release from the Knicks was a potential sticking point, Walsh seemed to indicate the delay in getting anything done was caused by Marbury, who has refused to give up much or any of his $20.8 million salary. 'If it is (true), then that would seem to be motivation to try and talk,' Walsh said of the report. 'If you're going to do a buyout, then it takes two to tango.'

James Singleton has been like several Dallas Mavericks role players this year. Playing time comes and goes and the reserves are never quite sure what to expect.But compared to this time a year ago, Singleton is in basketball heaven. He played for TAU Cerámica of the Spanish ACB league and said he was miserable.'I have never seen a team so controlling in my life,' Singleton said. 'Every facet, they controlled. What time you went to sleep. What you have to do on the road. What you eat. Everything.'Throw in a major knee injury in September 2007 and life was difficult. But Singleton rehabbed in five months, finished the season in Europe and happily signed with the Mavericks.And one of the attractions in Dallas was Mark Cuban, the essence of a players’ owner.'Mark is a saint,' Singleton said, emphasizing the last word. 'I’m glad to be here and glad to be home.'— Jan Hubbard

Today's games Time Pick Atlanta at Arizona 1:30 p.m. (Ch. 5) Cardinals, 31-30 Cards only fifth team in NFL history with three 1,000-yard...

Happy New Year, blah blah blah,....Good times, bad times, expect FATBMX to stick in there. We've been doing this for a long time. "We've seen it all" is the wrong thing to say because every week new tricks are invented and team changes are made that were unexpected. -For instance: Current Dew Tour Champion and X-Games winner Daniel Dhers has officially signed on to ride for Germany's KHE Bikes. They must be hella stoked on that one over there in Karlsruhe. Did you expect Corey "Nasty" Nastazio to sign with HARO Bikes? Maybe you didn't see that one coming but it's true. Things like that keeps us into it. Let's see what else happened this week.

Four games to pick with four home teams getting points and Ashton Grewal is still struggling to select one for his column this week. What is that all about?

By JEFF CAPLAN DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t stop their habitual slow starts with a fast one. But in the end, after a 22-point swing and everything was even again with five minutes to play, they again found a way to scratch one in the win column Friday night.Another blistering fourth-quarter stretch run upended the latest upset bid at american airlines Center, this one by the Philadelphia 76ers, who faded away to a 96-86 loss after being tied 78-78.The Mavs won for the third consecutive time and sixth in seven games. But how much longer can they continue to live on the edge, especially on their home floor?'Not long,' Devean George said. 'Eventually if you make a steady diet of it, it’s going to come back and bite you. It’s important that we try to correct it while we’re getting away with it. Winning covers up everything. Luckily we’re playing teams that are in the bottom half. If we’re doing it against good teams, they’re not go

Will another team playing on Wild Card weekend go on to win it all? Kevin Hench's Sundays of Our Lives looks for a storybook finish.

By JEFF CAPLAN DALLAS — Since their 2-7 start, the Dallas Mavericks have done an exceptional job of racking up wins against teams with losing records.Friday’s 96-86 win over Philadelphia moved the Mavs to 18-5 overall since those first forgettable nine games and an impressive 14-1 against teams below .500.The only loss came on Dec. 19 when Devin Harris lit them up in New Jersey. At the other end of the won-loss spectrum, the Mavs are 4-4 since the first nine games against teams in the top eight of both conferences, plus Utah.'Whomever we’re playing on a particular night is the team we need to beat,' Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. 'I don’t like talking about sub-.500, over .500. I think it’s disrespectful to the teams that are below.'Still, if the Mavs (20-12) continue to take care of business against teams lower in the standings, they’ll crack the double-digit barrier for games above .500 for the first time this season early next week.Three more sub