Nail biter

Steve Nash (far right) and Leandro Barbosa of Phoenix celebrate after taking the lead with 0.5 seconds left on the clock in game one of the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks in Dallas. Nash's best friend, Dallas superstar Dirk Nowitzki is also seen looking...
well... not pleased.

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Suns roll on

The Suns played larger than life again, ending the season for another L.A. team with a 127-107 rout that puts this undermanned, undersized Suns team right back where it was a year ago.

Photo: Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

Memorial wall arrives in Portland

oregonlive.com: Several hundred motorcyclists, many of them Vietnam veterans, provided a double file honor guard Tuesday for a replica of the Vietnam Memorial as it was trucked to Portland.

The line of motorcycles - Harley-Davidsons predominated - stretched as far as half a mile behind the flag-emblazoned tractor/trailer carrying the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Experience, a three-quarter-scale replica of the famous monument that is touring 20 American cities this summer from Arizona to Virginia.

Portland is the only Oregon stop for the wall, which, even at three-quarter scale is eight feet tall and 240 feet long.

After it is set up Wednesday it will have school tours during the day Thursday and private ceremonies for Vietnam veterans that night. It opens to the public at 3 p.m. Friday and can be visited around the clock through Monday night at Lincoln Memorial Park, 11801 S.E. Mt. Scott Blvd

Although closing ceremonies are 1 p.m. Sunday, thanks to a last-minute decison, the wall will be left assembled and open through Memorial Day, said Dan Serres, general manager of Lincoln Memorial Park. He expects as many as 100,000 visitors.

FYI: SafeNet - Safety net

SafeNet is a free and confidential help line that helps women, children and teens find health care and public services and provides information about eligibility for the Oregon Health Plan and other low-cost health insurance options. Call 1-800-723-3638 or call 503-988-5858 in Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties.
Details at: www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/imm/safenet.shtml

Game 7 Tonight: Win or go home

Former Suns teammates, Nash and Sam Cassell wish each other luck at center court.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE Photos)

Great book sale at my alma mater

Portland State University’s library will hold its quarterly surplus book sale starting June 1. Tables overflowing with thousands of book bargains will be located on the ground floor of the PSU Millar Library. Proceeds from this sale will benefit the PSU Library, the region's largest academic library.

When:

Thursday, June 1, 2006, Noon – 9 p.m.

Friday, June 2, 2006, 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 3, 2006, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Sunday, June 4, 2006, Noon – 9 p.m.

Where:

Ground floor of PSU’s Millar Library (1875 S.W. Park Ave.).

Cost:

Admission is free and open to the public.

Prices are $1 for paperbacks, $2 for hardcover books and 25 cents – $2 for records, sheet music, cds, tapes, videos, maps and magazines.

Talk to me...

Kobe Bryant said Charles Barkley was wrong to call him "selfish" for not trying to score more during Game 7 of the Lakers' playoff loss to Phoenix.

Bryant took only three shots and scored one point during the second half of the Lakers' 121-90 loss to the Suns in the deciding game of their first-round series. Barkley was critical of Bryant's play on the air, believing he should have tried to take over the offense when his team needed it.

The criticism upset Bryant, who told Barkley so during dozens of text message responses he sent to Barkley's phone.

So, Kobe is so busy now that his team's season is over he can't pick up the phone and call Barkley?

SAMHSA Awards $9.6 Million for Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Programs

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles Curie today announced almost $9.6 million over three years for eight new grants to support national suicide prevention efforts. The first year grant total is almost $3.2 million. This grant program is authorized under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which provides funding for programs to combat suicide.

"Each of these new grantees will help fill a significant need in their community." Curie said.

Nationally, an estimated 900,000 youth had made a plan to commit suicide during their worst or most recent episode of major depression, and 712,000 attempted suicide during such an episode. The data are from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Further grants will be awarded this year under announcements of available funding for campus suicide prevention grants, state-sponsored suicide prevention and post-hurricane Katrina suicide prevention.

The eight grants announced today will be administered by SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services to the following:

Alaska, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, Utah and...

Oregon Department of Human Services -- $400,000 in the first year and similar amounts in subsequent years to reduce suicide among youth ages 10-24. The program will be implemented in Lane County, Josephine County, Jackson County, Baker County, Umatilla County, Union County, and Wallowa County, and at the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation. Expected short-term outcomes include: increased referrals to care; increased linkage to care; decreased barriers to care; increased knowledge among clinicians, crisis response workers, school staff, youth, and lay persons; and increased social support for survivors.

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health service delivery systems.

2-2

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers have found ways to win while playing to the other's strengths through the first four games of their playoff series. It remains to be seen what style each club will employ when the teams meet at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix for a pivotal Game 5 tonight.

"It's not as bleak as it seems -- we're 2-2," Suns coach D'Antoni said. "You play all year to defend your home court. If we're good enough, we'll do it and advance to the next round. If not, hats off to them."

The series returns to Staples Center for Game 6 on Thursday.

New toys

This photo from Apple shows new MacBook laptops released yesterday. Apple is getting closer to the completion of its historic shift to microprocessors used by its PC rivals. The 13-inch widescreen MacBooks feature Intel Core Duo chips that Apple says boost the laptops' performance by four to five times compared to their predecessors. (AP Photo/Apple Computer Inc., Johansen Krause)

Surf at the "paahhk"

NEW YORK (AFP) - New York's Central Park and a number of other public spaces will become public Internet hubs starting this summer when the city's parks begin offering free wireless net access, the city government said.

Suns Laugh Last

Nash-ville

(At right) The front page of Monday's Arizona Republic

Last year, Nash became just the second point guard in 40 years to win the prestigious award after leading the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the NBA.

Nash joined Magic Johnson as the only point guards to win MVP awards since Oscar Robertson won for Cincinnati in 1964.

At 6-3, Nash also is among the shortest MVPs in history, joining 6-1 Bob Cousy and 6- foot Allen Iverson.

This year, Amaré Stoudemire's knee surgery deprived the Suns of their top scorer and Nash led the team to 54 wins and its first repeat division title with only Shawn Marion and Leandro Barbosa back for a full season. Like a true superstar, Nash made the supporting cast around him better. Barbosa and Marion have had career years as well as new additions Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, James Jones and Eddie House.

The driving force of the Suns' relentless up-tempo attack, Nash led the league with 10.5 assists per game and set career highs in points (18.8), rebounds (4.2), field-goal percentage (51.2) and free-throw percentage (92.1).

Nash is the the first international and Suns player to win twice. Only eight previous players repeated as MVP winners. Magic Johnson was the only point guard to do so.

Redemption

Two time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash celebrates on his way to the locker room after the Suns defeated the Lakers in Game 7 Saturday night. The Suns became just the 8th team in NBA playoff history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

Photos: Rob Schumacher, Arizona Republic

It's official...

Steve Nash won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year Sunday, beating runner-up LeBron James by a comfortable margin.

The award was presented Sunday at a news conference at US Airways Center, where Phoenix won Game 7 of its first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The Phoenix Suns point guard received 57 first-place votes and 924 points overall from a panel of 125 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

James of Cleveland had 16 first-place votes and 688 points overall. Nash's close friend Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas was third with 14 first-place ballots and 544 overall.

The 32-year-old Nash is the ninth player to win consecutive MVP awards.

Last season, he directed the Suns to an NBA-best 62 victories. This year, the Suns lost Amare Stoudemire to injury and traded Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. Yet they still won 54 games and a second straight Pacific Division title.

This season, Nash had career highs in scoring (18.8 points), rebounding (4.2), field goal percentage (.512) and free throw percentage (a league-leading .921). He led the league in assists at 10.5 a game and finished sixth in 3-point percentage at 43.9.

Others who have won consecutive MVP awards are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

Game 7 Cometh

Suns run in OT, force Game 7
Series shifts back to Phoenix for Game 7 Saturday

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
LOS ANGELES - The Suns' locker room was euphoric through the exhaustion as they relived Tim Thomas' three-pointer that put Game 6 in overtime and the deluge of seven straight made Suns shots in overtime that gave the Suns a 126-118 victory over the Lakers.

Then, Steve Nash walked it and told everybody, "Guys, calm down. We're only up 4-2 and we've got another game to go," referencing how they felt Game 4 was stolen from them to set up the scenario of needing to win three straight games.

Now, the Lakers will find out what it is like to play a game under the diress of win or go home. With the series tied at 3, the Suns are a Saturday home win away from what seemed darn near impossible quest at the start of week - become the eighth team in NBA history to win a series after being down 3-1.

Phoenix now has a date with destiny: Game 7, 5:30 p.m., US Airways Center. And Raja Bell, suspended for Thursday's game and watching at a L.A. restaurant full of Lakers fans, can come along this time because Shawn Marion got a piece of Kobe Bryant's game-winning try at the end of regulation.

"It was amazing," Bell said. "It was kind of surreal. I don't have kids so this is the proudest I've ever been. I'm struggling for words. That was bigtime. I'm more emotionally drained than if I had played the game."

Hear the audio highlights from the greatest broadcaster ever, Al McCoy.

Photo: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

One for the history books

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has won nine NBA titles and had this to say after L.A. beat Phoenix Sunday:

"I can't remember a game that was perhaps as dramatic as that one."

"It goes back perhaps to the Phoenix series (in 1993)," he said. "We had a triple overtime game against Phoenix in Chicago, where a lot of things happened, there were many lead changes at the end. It was one of those kind of games where it was a heartbreak to lose, and kind of a joy to win."

The Suns beat the Phil Jackson coached and Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in that triple overtime game during the 1993 NBA Finals where the Bulls went on to win the series 4-2.

Seven teams in NBA history have come back to win a playoff series after being down 3-1, as Phoenix is.

"To win three in a row is difficult," Nash said, "but they've done it to us and there's absolutely no way that we're incapable of doing it to them."

(AP Photo/Jeff Lewis)