Bryant leads all-NBA first team
NEW YORK, May 8 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, named league MVP earlier in the week, was selected to the All-NBA first ream, the NBA announced Thursday.
Joining Bryant on the first team are Boston forward Kevin Garnett, Orlando center Dwight Howard, Cleveland forward LeBron James and New Orleans guard Chris Paul.
Bryant averaged 28.3 points in leading to Lakers' to the Western Conference's best record. The league's best record this season was owned by Boston, behind Garnett, the NBA defensive player of the year.
Paul, who led the league with 11.6 assists per game, helped New Orleans to a No. 2 seeding while Howard had a career-best 20.7-point-per-game average this year. James led the NBA in scoring with a 30-point-per-game average.
The all-league second team includes: Phoenix's Steve Nash and Utah's Deron Williams at guard, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki at forward, and Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix at center.
The third team is: San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Houston's Tracy McGrady at guard, Utah's Carlos Boozer and Boston's Paul Pierce at forwards, and Houston's Yao Ming at center.
Henin ousted, Williams wins at German Open
BERLIN, May 8 (UPI) -- Serena Williams extended her personal winning streak and world No. 1 Justine Henin was ousted Thursday in third-round play of the $1.34 German Open.
Henin, who had won the German Open three times, was defeated 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 by 13th-seeded Dinara Safina. Henin had seven double faults and had her serve broken eight times by Safina, who had never even won a set in five previous career meetings with Henin.
Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was also knocked out in three sets, losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 to 15th-seeded Alona Bondarenko.
Williams, seeded fifth, improved to 21-1 on the year and 17-0 since a loss in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January with a 6-3, 6-1 pasting of 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.
No. 4-seeded Jelena Jankovic was a solid 6-2, 6-4 winner over Maria Kirilenko. Seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva beat Vera Dushevina 7-5, 6-3. And No. 10-seeded Agnes Szavay got by Marion Bartoli 7-5, 7-5. Also Thursday, Victoria Azarenka topped Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1.
McGowan, Ruiz lead at Italian Open
MILAN, Italy, May 8 (UPI) -- Ross McGowan and Marco Ruiz each shot 8-under-par 64s Thursday and are tied for the lead after the first round of the Methorios Capital Italian Open.
McGowan had a string of six birdies in eight holes and Ruiz overcame a bogey on a par 5 to share the lead. Mark Foster, Hennie Otto and Marc Warren are tied for third at 7-under 65.
McGowan and Ruiz each started on No. 10 Thursday but took very different routes to the same score.
McGowan parred his first hole but moved under par on No. 11 with a birdie. After another par, he had four consecutive birdies. He had a par at 17 but birdied 18 to make his turn at 6-under 30. He played the front nine in a bogey-free 2-under.
Ruiz opened with a birdie at the 10th hole but gave the stroke back with a 6 at the par-5 12th hole. He had birdies on three of the next five holes to turn at 3-under. He then ran off three consecutive birdies and closed with birdies at Nos. 7 and 9 for a share of the lead.
Report: NFL receives play-calling tapes
NEW YORK, May 8 (UPI) -- The NFL has received eight tapes of recorded play-calling signals by coaches of five New England opponents over six games from 2000-2002.
The tapes were sent to the league's front office by former Patriots employee Matt Walsh on Wednesday by the order of Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The New York Times reported Thursday that the tapes do not include video of the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.
Walsh was rumored to possess tapes of the St. Louis Rams before they faced the Patriots in the 2002 Super Bowl.
"Mr. Walsh has never claimed to have a tape of the (Rams) walk-through," Walsh's attorney, Michael Levy, told The Boston Herald. "Mr. Walsh was not the source for the Feb. 2 Boston Herald article."
New England Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team fined $250,000 after an employee was caught videotaping New York Jets coaches during the 2007 season opener.
Djokovic makes Italian Masters quarters
ROME, May 8 (UPI) -- Third-seeded Novak Djokovic needed a third set but still advanced Thursday to the quarterfinals of the $3.5 Italian Masters clay court tennis tournament.
Djokovic took a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Igor Andreev but the match took 2 hours, 42 minutes and he had to stave off 11 service break chances by Andreev, including seven in losing the second set.
World No. 1 Roger Federer had a move conventional 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win over Ivo Karlovic in his third-round match while sixth-seeded Andy Roddick was also a straight-set winner, taking out local favorite Simone Bolelli 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
No. 6-seeded James Blake defeated Fernando Verdasco 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 and Stanislas Wawrinka swept Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3. Nicolas Almagro moved into Friday's round of eight when 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez withdrew with a right leg injury.
In a battle of unseeded players, Radek Stepanek topped Luis Horna 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 and earned a shot at Federer in the quarterfinals.
