Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Put aside the obvious Staples Center corporate connection, and you couldn't pick two more appropriate athletes to speak at Michael Jackson's public memorial than Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. Kobe was a friend of Jackson's, and has already spoken extensively about how misunderstood Jackson was.
Without making Kobe out to be a total weirdo, there are parallels there: success and pressure at very young ages, near-obsessive approaches to their crafts, desire to assimilate all that came before and be the best ever, and yes, high-profile legal troubles that made them into highly controversial figures.
Kobe rehabilitated himself with two seasons of unselfishness, some flashes of real personality, an MVP, and now a title. Jackson had to die to come anywhere close to clearing his name.
With Magic, who spoke second, the connection's not nearly as heavy. Magic and the Showtime Lakers epitomized 1980's ball at its most dynamic and infectious, just like Jackson when he was on top of the world.
Johnson's said before that Michael was the musician who most influenced his play on the court; today, he took it a step further, claiming that Jackson made him a better point guard by setting such a high bar for showmanship and entertainment.
But the most memorable moment had to be when Magic, who used to light off firecrackers with the lesser Jacksons, went to eat dinner with The King. The personal chef came around, Magic ordered the grilled chicken, and Michael ... well, watch the video.
Magic Johnson may have done more than anyone else in America to make us believe that Jackson was a human being.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
 | Slideshow |
 |
Saying goodbye to the ‘King of Pop’ The family holds a private service, and fans and celebrity friends say farewell to the pop star at a public memorial service at Staples Center in Los Angeles. more photos |
ProBasketballTalk tweets |
|
Source: Twitter. For more, follow @basketballtalk. |
 | Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
 Knicks, Lin still streaking Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and point guard Jeremy Lin discuss the team and Lin's recent success. |
| Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
Ask the NBA expert: Ira Winderman |
Do you have a burning NBA question? Submit it now, and then check back for our reader mailbag. |  |
 | Special feature |
 |
Who will be MVP? Interactive: Rank each player on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best player, 0 = barely worthy of consideration). NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
