- Kings 88, Nets 87: Despite leading by 20, the Nets couldn't snap their losing streak at Sacramento's Arco Arena. The injury bug has struck again; Richard Jefferson is out six weeks after arhtroscopic on his ankle. Already without Nenad Krsitc for the rest of the season, the Nets -- winless at Arco since 1997 -- will try to tread water until he returns. Blowing games like this one isn't going to help their cause, though.
- Heat 101, Knicks 83: No shame losing to the defending champs, right? What about if they don't have Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal and are under .500? The Knicks were embarassed in the first quarter, made it close for a while but couldn't come back and lost on the road. This game matches up with the profile of about half their losses this season.
- After firing Tim Lewis, the Giants named Eagles linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo their new defensive coordinator on Monday. Despite Coach Tom Coughlin's confidence -- Spagnuolo was the only man to get an in-person interview -- the rival-turned-helper will have his work cut out for him. The Giants ranked 25th in the NFL last season in yards allowed.
- After what must have been a disappointing finish with the Dallas Cowboys, former Giants, Patriots and Jets coach Bill Parcells retired on Monday. He's done this before of course, but he's older now, and this should be for real. Parcells' best tenure came with the Giants, when he won two Super Bowls and oversaw a player who revolutionized football in Lawrence Taylor. He also guided the Patriots to the big game before bailing on them to join the Jets, whom he led to within 30 minutes of another Super Bowl berth. Given the talent he worked with and the sorry state of the Jets franchise before he got there, Parcells deserves almost as much credit for the second stop in East Rutherford as the first.
Photograph of Jason Kidd breaking up a hand off between Kevin Martin and Shareef Abdur-Rahim by Rich Pedroncelli/AP
