Inter Milan wins third straight Italian title

ROME (AP) -Inter Milan won its third straight Italian league title Sunday by beating Parma 2-0 on the final day of the season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, returning from a six-week injury layoff, scored both goals to help Inter finish the season with 85 points, three more than AS Roma, which tied 1-1 at Catania.

Ibrahimovic was out injured when Inter wasted chances to clinch the past two weekends, first with a loss against city rival AC Milan and then last week with a tie against Siena. The Sweden striker came on in the 51st minute in driving rain at Parma and scored one goal with each foot. In the 62nd, he used his right foot to connect on a low shot from beyond the penalty area. He then volleyed in a cross from Maicon with his left foot in the 79th.

Roma needed to win and hope for help from Parma. It looked good for the Giallorossi when Mirko Vucinic scored in the eighth minute, but Roma let up after news of Ibrahimovic's goals reached Catania and Jorge Andres Martinez tied the score for the Sicilians in the 85th. Fiorentina beat Torino 1-0 to secure fourth place and Italy's final Champions League berth. AC Milan finished fifth despite a 4-1 win over Udinese, and will miss out on the top European competition next season.

Argentine forward Pablo Osvaldo scored with a bicycle kick in the 76th minute for Fiorentina at Torino, which had a goal by Aimo Diana disallowed for offside in the 60th. Udinese led Milan when Giandomenico Mesto scored in the 32nd minute, but the Rossoneri responded with goals from Alexandre Pato, Filippo Inzaghi, Cafu and Clarence Seedorf.

Juventus finished third with 72 points and was followed by Fiorentina with 66 and Milan with 64.

Empoli, Parma and Livorno were relegated.

Nadal dethrones Federer

HAMBURG: Rafael Nadal warmed-up for his French Open title defence in style when he dethroned a demoralised Roger Federer as Hamburg Masters champion winning the final 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 here yesterday. In a rematch of the 2007 title clash, which was won by Federer, triple Roland Garros champion Nadal showed a determined fighting spirit with a superb array of shots to claim victory after 2 hours 52 minutes.

It was the Spaniard's tenth win over Federer – his eighth on clay. It also ended the Swiss world number one's 41-match unbeaten run on German soil. Since Federer's previous defeat in Germany – to Mark Philippoussis here in 2003 – he had won seven straight German tournaments: three in Hamburg on clay and four in Halle on grass.

It left Nadal with 108 wins on clay from 110 matches since April 2005 and reinforced his position as the overwhelming favourite to win a fourth consecutive Roland Garros, which starts on May 25, and where he is unbeaten after 21 matches.After breaking Nadal in only the second game of the first set, Federer was in total control and broke again to take a commanding lead at 5-1.

Nadal then called for the physio to look at a troublesome hamstring and it looked like it was all over with barely 30 minutes played. Federer then twice served for the first set, but Nadal's defence held and he stunned the Swiss star by breaking the world number one three times with some excellent line shots to serve out for the first set 7-5 after exactly an hour.

At the start of the second, Federer was broken again, but responded in kind by breaking back the Spaniard twice with a serve and volley game and then resumed control to serve out to a 4-1 lead.
The game took another twist with Federer leading the second set 5-2, as Nadal rallied again to level the set at 5-5 as the set went to a tiebreak. Nadal took a 2-0 lead in the tie-break only to see Federer roar back to win the second set breaker 7-3 and level the final.

But in the deciding set, Nadal held his nerve after charging into a 4-1 lead before Federer trimmed him back to 5-3, but the Spaniard served it out and roared his joy at gaining revenge for his defeat in the 2007 final

It’s China again

THE towering Xie Zhongbo-Guo Zhengdong were not expected to win a single match in the Thomas Cup Finals. But they were mobbed and hugged by their jubilant team-mates at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta last night.

The duo pulled off a sensational 21-12, 19-21, 21-12 win over the more fancied Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man to give China the winning point in a 3-1 victory over South Korea in the Thomas Cup final.

It was the third consecutive win in the series and seventh overall for China since they made a winning debut in the world men's team championships in London in 1982.

The other two points for China last night were won by world number one Lin Dan and world number three Bao Chunlai.

China dropped a point in the first doubles through Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, who were blown away by All-England champions Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae 23-25, 16-21.

It was dejection for the Koreans as they saw their hopes of winning the Thomas Cup go up in smoke. But still, the Koreans can walk tall for reaching their first-ever final and bowing out fighting in the final. The first match of the night between Lin Dan and Park Sung-hwan set the tempo for the keenly contested tie.

Lin Dan came charging back after losing the first game tamely at 10-21. With more ferocity in his attacks, a pumped up Lin Dan slowly broke Sung-hwan resolve in the second game, winning 21-18. After winning the decider at 21-8, he celebrated as though China had won the Cup.

He bowed to the spectators, waved repeatedly and even threw his shirt to the delight of the thousands of spectators in the stadium.

“I am so happy to have delivered the first point. There was so much of pressure,” said Lin Dan, who crashed to a tame defeat by Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals on Friday.

But China's celebration died off briefly in the first doubles when Jae-sung-Yong-dae fought tooth and nail to level the tie, beating Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng 25-23, 21-16. In the second singles, Lee Hyun-il gave Chunlai a run for his money in the first game. Hyun-il took a comfortable lead at 14-11 and raised hopes on the Korean ability to lift the Cup but Chunlai refused to buckle.

Chunlai fought back, unleashing his deadly smashes to keep pace with the Korea and hung on for a 28-26 win. In the second game, Chunlai had no problem against the demoralised Hyun-il, romping home for a 21-11 win.

The lanky Chunlai, who had beaten Hyun-il with less effort in their last five meetings, said: “I certainly did not expect the first game to be so close.

“He (hyun-il) put so much pressure on me but after the deuce, I was more determined. I stayed focused and I am very pleased, I was able to overcome the pressure,” he said.

Turkey 2008

1 Felipe Massa Ferrari 58 1:26:49.451 1 10
2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 +3.7 secs 3 8
3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 58 +4.2 secs 4 6
4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 58 +21.9 secs 5 5
5 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 58 +38.7 secs 9 4
6 Fernando Alonso Renault 58 +53.7 secs 7 3
7 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 58 +64.2 secs 6 2
8 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 58 +71.4 secs 11 1
9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 58 +75.2 secs 10
10 Jarno Trulli Toyota 58 +76.3 secs 8
11 Jenson Button Honda 57 +1 Lap 13
12 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 57 +1 Lap 2
13 Timo Glock Toyota 57 +1 Lap 15
14 Rubens Barrichello Honda 57 +1 Lap 12
15 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 57 +1 Lap 17
16 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari 57 +1 Lap 19
17 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 57 +1 Lap 14
Ret Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 24 Spin 18
Ret Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1 Accident damage 16
Ret Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 0 Accident 20

Massa, you are improving fast, show me more and I will bet on you as a champion....

Ferguson in dreamland after another title success

Sir Alex Ferguson has lavished praise on Cristiano Ronaldo after his side clinched the Premier League title. Goals from Ronaldo and substitute Ryan Giggs secured a 2-0 victory against Wigan at the JJB Stadium. United finished two points ahead of Chelsea, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolton.

Ronaldo took his tally for the season to an astonishing 41 goals after making the breakthrough in the 33rd minute. He sent goalkeeper Chris Kirkland the wrong way from the penalty spot after Emerson Boyce was pulled up for a challenge on Wayne Rooney. Then Giggs marked a record-equalling 758th appearance for the club by scoring a crucial second 10 minutes from time with a cool finish.

Ferguson praised both players for their impact, in the short- and long-term at the club.

He said: 'Ronaldo has been out of this world. To get 41 goals as a winger is sensational. It is also fantastic for Ryan to get the goal that matters. Maybe it is fate.

'He deserves it. I have known him for 20 years and he has been a credit to the game. For him to to equal the record, then to get the goal that wins the title, is just fantastic.'

Ferguson believes his vibrant young side are on the brink of becoming Old Trafford legends.

He said: 'If we win the European Cup I think you would have to put this group of players right at the very top of those I have worked with.

'It is an emerging team. Normally, the average age of teams who win the European Cup is about 29.

'We have a lot of young players. (Wayne) Rooney, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Carlos) Tevez, Anderson, Nani, (Darren) Fletcher.

'Anderson could play in front of a million people and not be bothered one bit. It is that Brazil mentality.

'They are all young players and are getting better. But you also need experienced players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar.

'That kind of experience allows young players to develop. The future is bright and we are all looking forward to Moscow.'

United finished the campaign two points ahead of Chelsea, who had to settle for a draw against Bolton. However Ferguson expects a stronger challenge next season and dismissed as 'stupid' the notion that United could again dominate English football the way they did in the 1990s. During that glorious era they won the title five times in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999.

He said: 'I expect Arsenal to be very strong and Liverpool to buy a lot of players. I do not know what Chelsea will do as they already have a strong squad.

'Everton are continuing to progress under David Moyes and Tottenham will have a much bigger say, I am sure. I cannot say we are going to dominate again as it would be stupid to do that.'

United sealed the title thanks to a 2-0 victory at Wigan with Ronaldo (penalty) and Giggs, on a record-equalling 758th appearance for the club, getting the goals. Ferguson then got a message from Gary Megson following his mischievous remark that Bolton were out celebrating during the week after securing their top-flight status.

'I had a little nibble at them to keep their mind alert,' Ferguson told MUTV. 'I had a text from Gary Megson saying `well done, your team talk was brilliant!'

'I also have to give great credit to Wigan. They gave us a real tough game. But I think we have proved we are the best team in the country.

'We have expressed ourselves in an entertaining way, we try to play in an exciting way.'

Sir Ferguson, you are the most important person to the world of Football... not just UK but all over the world ...

Squash: Nicol on track for third title

PETALING JAYA: World number one Nicol David gave a powerful performance to beat Natalie Grainger of United States to qualify for her fourth successive British Open final at Echo Arena in Liverpool on Sunday.

The top seeded Nicol stormed to a 9-5, 9-1, 9-0 win over the Manchester-born fourth seed Grainger in just 27 minutes in the semi-finals. And she will play against England's Jenny Duncalf Nicol for a third title in four years.

Well done, you make all Malaysian proud of themselve

Badminton: Blame it on the format, says Korean manager

SOUTH Korea made a total mockery of the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) competition format for the Thomas Cup Finals by openly declaring that their best path to the final is by losing all their group matches.

The new format, allowing all 16 teams to move into the knockout phase, was introduced at the 2004 Finals, also in Jakarta. Yesterday morning, the Koreans fielded their singles players in the doubles and their doubles specialists in the singles to lose 1-4 to England in their opening Group B tie.

Immediately after the defeat, team manager Kim Jong-soo admitted that they had also plotted to throw away their final group tie against Malaysia last night. The Koreans also lost 1-4. The reason: South Korea wanted to finish bottom of the three-team group to go into the same quarter of the knockout draw with Denmark

The Korean team manager Kim Jong-soo admitted that the team had deliberately lost to England and Malaysia to increase their chances of reaching the final. If they had beaten both England and Malaysia to top the group, South Korea will go into the same half of the draw as defending champions China.

If they had beaten England but lost to Malaysia and finish second, they go into the same quarter as hosts Indonesia. South Korea have yet to feature in the Thomas Cup final.

“It was not a late decision. We had discussed all options and settled on finishing last in the group, even before arriving in Jakarta,” said Jong-soo.

“After studying the draw and analysing our strengths and weaknesses, it was best for us to play against Denmark in the quarters, Indonesia in the semis and China in the final. We had to adopt the best strategy to maximise our chances of winning the Cup.”

Against England, fourth ranked singles player Hong Ji-hoon played in the opening match, going down 19-21, 21-18, 16-21 to Andrew Smith. Lee Yong-dae partnered third singles player Shon Seung-mo in the first doubles and they defeated Robert Adcock-Robin Middleton 21-19, 21-15

Doubles player Lee Jae-jin went down 11-21, 19-21 to Rajiv Ouseph in the second singles match and the top two singles players Park Sung-hwan and Lee Hyun-il combined in a 16-21, 12-21 defeat by Christopher Langridge-Christopher Adcock. Another doubles player, Hwang Ji-man put the finishing touch to the South Korean sham by going down 11-21, 18-21 to Nathan Rice.

In having no qualms over killing the spirit of sportsmanship and depriving the paying fans and television viewers around the world of getting their money's worth, Jong-soo was critical of the competition format.

“We are merely taking advantage of the loopholes in the current competition format, which was created to allow countries to play more matches at the Finals. The fault lies with the organisers and not with the teams,” he said.

“In order to maintain the credibility of the competition, it would be better for the BWF to revert to the previous format where only the top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals. Then, no such plotting will arise.”

South Korea, as the bottom team in Group B, will play against Group A runners-up Canada today for a place in the quarter-finals

I am thankful for the sincerity of the Korean Coach but he should have to be punished, and to be ban for life for match making why a normal minded coach would like their team to shame themselves even before the game itself ? Its just humiliating..

Speedy Sox brush aside Rays (16-15)

Red Sox 7, Rays 3

Kevin Youkilis drove in a career-high-tying four runs and the Red Sox stole five bases for the first time since 2002 to complete a three-game sweep of the Rays. Jon Lester allowed just one run over six frames.

Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City

Liverpool came out on top at Anfield following a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League.

Fernando Torres' 32nd goal of the season gave Liverpool their seventh successive home victory in the Premier League.

Despite a decent City performance, it was Torres with his 15th goal in 17 matches who stole the show.

The Reds could have wrapped up the encounter but Dirk Kuyt's header hit the crossbar and Ryan Babel shot sailed over.

2008 La Liga Champion. Real Madrid

MADRID, May 4 (Reuters) - MADRID, May 4 (Reuters) - Real Madrid fought their way back after a sending off and going a goal down to snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory at Osasuna and win their 31st league title on Sunday.

With Villarreal beating Getafe 2-0 in an earlier match, Real had to win the game to take the title but suffered a major setback when defender Fabio Cannavaro was sent off at the start of the second half.

Real looked to be in serious trouble when Osasuna midfielder Patxi Punal struck home from the penalty spot after Gabriel Heinze had handled in the area with eight minutes to go.

But Dutch winger Arjen Robben equalised with three minutes to go, heading in after Gonzalo Higuain whipped a free kick into the area and the Argentine struck the winner when he lashed past Ricardo with a minute to go.

With three matches left to play, Real have an unassailable 10-point lead over Villarreal at the top of the table.

Earlier, Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci scored twice to give Villarreal a 2-0 victory at home to Getafe.

Nihat put Villarreal ahead late in the first half when he side-footed in at the far post after fellow striker Giuseppe Rossi had sped down the left flank and slid the ball across the face of the goal.

He took his tally for the season to 17 a minute before the break, having time to tee up his shot and pick his spot after Robert Pires had crossed the ball to the far post.

Third-placed Barcelona hammered a beleaguered Valencia 6-0 at the Nou Camp, to record their first win in six games.

Midweek defeat against Manchester United in the Champions League condemned Barca to a second successive trophyless season and they appeared stung by the criticism levelled at the team as they stormed into a 3-0 lead in under 15 minutes.

Lionel Messi scored Barca's first goal in five games in all competitions when he opened from the penalty spot after he was brought down in the area by Alexis.

Xavi made it 2-0 when he drilled in from 20 metres on eight minutes and Thierry Henry added a third by steering home after Samuel Eto'o cut the ball back from the byline.

COOL FINISHING

Henry scored his ninth of the season when he curled in from the edge of the area, after the break and Bojan Krkic wrapped up with two cool finishes after some dreadful defending from the Valencia back four.

Valencia, who have lost five of their last six league games, remain just two points above the relegation zone.

Real Murcia were relegated after they squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Racing Santander and will now join Levante in the second division.

Javier Clemente's side ended the game with nine men after defender Alvaro Mejia and Stephane Pignol were both sent off in the space of two minutes late in the second half.

Racing's victory left them just two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and kept them in the hunt for the Champions League places.

Spanish striker Daniel Guiza went to the top of the Primera Liga scoring charts when he took his tally for the season to 24 with his double in Real Mallorca's 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.

Underappreciated greatness

As I write this, I'm 40,000 miles above ground hitching a ride on a private plane with tennis legend Pete Sampras. We're headed to Boston, where he'll be competing in the Outback Champions Series, and I'll be covering the tournament for television.

During the flight we discussed a variety of topics: politics, the NBA playoffs, life after tennis and family -- but what really got my attention was when the subject turned to Rafael Nadal's clay-court prowess and the upcoming French Open. Even though the Spaniard's dominance on clay is universally acclaimed by the tennis world, it's still remarkably underappreciated.

"What Nadal has done on clay over the past three years is nothing short of remarkable," Sampras said. "To be as dominant as he has been, winning 100 out of 101 matches! That's one of the greatest achievements in the history of tennis, and I don't feel like it is recognized to the extent it deserves.

"The physical challenge is obvious, but the mental and emotional duress of preparing match in and match out is possibly greater. You can really tell how much he enjoys playing, and I think that's a huge part in his success. I have a lot of respect for the effort he puts into not only every match, but also every point."

That's strong praise from someone who knows all too well the duress associated with such lofty expectations. The argument can be made that Nadal's dominance on dirt is helped by the fact that clay-court tennis offers a significantly larger margin of error because it's based more on physical prowess than technical efficiency.

Still, I agree with Pete: Nadal's dominance is one of the most remarkable accomplishments in modern tennis. The only match Nadal has lost on clay over the past three years was in the final of Hamburg, Germany, last year against Roger Federer -- and that was when Nadal was so fatigued that he considered withdrawing prior to the event.

Nadal presents so many challenges to his opponents on all surfaces, but it's his movement on clay that sets him apart. His balance, tenacity and sheer physical strength put pressure on his opponents to hit to precise spots to win points. This inevitably leads to his opponents committing errors.

Those defensive skills, combined with an ability to dominate the middle of the court with his forehand and to set up points with his swinging lefty serve, add up to this: I believe Nadal will be the most dominant clay-court player of all-time. Bjorn Börg set the bar incredibly high, winning five straight French Opens, but Nadal is closing in. He has already won three and is a heavy favorite again this year. In fact, Nadal has never been defeated at Roland Garros.

Federer is Nadal's biggest challenger on clay, but the matchup and pattern of points are not favorable for the world No. 1. The accessibility and ease with which Nadal can get the ball to Federer's weaker backhand side, thanks to his southpaw swing, have proved to be an almost insurmountable challenge for Federer. Roger's best chance of winning the French lies with someone else upsetting Nadal.

Federer deserves tremendous credit for his clay-court skills, and it's a true testament to his greatness that he is the second-best player in the world on his weakest surface. But the incredible hurdle of capturing the career Grand Slam still looms large. Federer has even recently enlisted the services of notable coach José Higueras.

The Spaniard was a top-five player in his day and, as a coach, helped guide the careers of Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Todd Martin. Federer's hiring of Higueras points to not only his desire to win the French Open, but his dedication to improving his game and tapping his full potential.

All of these variables lend themselves to tremendous drama unfolding at the French Open. Nadal, on track to becoming the greatest clay-court player of all-time, pitted against Federer, on pace to rewriting the record books. This is exactly what tennis needs: a rivalry between two iconic champions on one of its grandest stages. All eyes will be on Roland Garros.

Former ATP pro Justin Gimelstob writes on alternate Fridays for SI.com.

Behind Kobe's 38, Lakers drop Jazz

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant made most of the shots that mattered, which he didn't view as any great accomplishment.

That's because there was nary a hand in his face when he took them.

Bryant, celebrating what's expected to be his first NBA MVP award, converted six of his franchise playoff-record 21 foul shots in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 109-98 Sunday to begin the second round of the playoffs.

Bryant finished with 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the Lakers made it five straight victories to begin the postseason after winning eight of their last nine regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

''You've got to be able to knock those free throws down. They're open looks,'' said Bryant, who made his first 18 foul shots before missing two of his last five to finish 21-of-23. ''It's my responsibility to knock them down.''

The Lakers shot 38-of-46 from the foul line, while the Jazz went 22-of-30. The teams spent most of the final period going from one foul line to the other, with Los Angeles going 14-of-19 from the line and Utah 10-of-12. Twenty-four of the 60 personal fouls were called in the last 12 minutes.

''It's an incredible night to have 23 foul shots,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ''I know that Utah's not going to be happy about it. We'll probably see about half that in the next game, if not less. So for him to do that, it was our biggest scoring threat of the night right there.''

Utah coach Jerry Sloan said he didn't have a problem with Bryant's many trips to the foul line.

''They called them, he shot them, that's fine,'' Sloan said. ''I can't do anything about that.''

Regarding his team's defense, Sloan said: ''It was very, very poor at best. (Fouls) are what you do when you try and bail out. I'd say that's very poor defense.''

There were some other unexpected numbers. For one, the Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41, with 25 of their rebounds at the offensive end. For another, Utah attempted 95 shots to match its regular-season high, but converted only 36 (37.9 percent).

''We had open shots, we couldn't make them,'' Sloan said.

''A lot of it was just their defense,'' said Deron Williams , who shot 5-for-18. ''They pushed us outside farther than we wanted to go with our offense.''

Derek Fisher , who played with the Jazz last season, guarded Williams for the most part and had a career playoff-high six steals to go with five points and six assists.

''I think probably what confused him was how old I am,'' the 33-year-old Fisher said, laughing. ''When he fakes, I don't go for it because I can't react that fast so I end up stealing it from him.''

Game 2 will be played Wednesday night before the best-of-seven series shifts to Utah for Games 3 and 4. Word leaked late Friday that Bryant had won his first Most Valuable Player award and he expressed his joy on Saturday. The NBA has declined comment, but Bryant is expected to receive the MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern before Game 2.

The ''MVP! MVP!'' chants from the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center began before the opening tip, with the volume increasing significantly when Bryant was introduced with the other Los Angeles starters.

Bryant, who shot 8-for-16 from the field, scored 24 points to help the Lakers take a 54-41 halftime lead, and although they were on top the rest of the way, there were some anxious moments down the stretch.

Pau Gasol added 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Lamar Odom had 16 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 45 seconds to play, and Sasha Vujacic scored a career playoff-high 15 for the Lakers.

Forward Luke Walton , who shot 22-for-31 and averaged 14 points in the Lakers' sweep of Denver in the first round, played despite an upper respiratory infection and wasn't at his best, getting five points and three rebounds in 13 minutes.

Mehmet Okur had 21 points and a career playoff-high 19 rebounds for the Jazz. Carlos Boozer had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four assists before fouling out with 3:28 left, and Williams added 14 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.

The Lakers went ahead for good late in the first quarter and led 68-49 early in the third period before the Jazz outscored them 15-3 to get back in the game. It was 91-82 before a 3-pointer by Kyle Korver and a jumper by Ronnie Brewer made it 91-87 with 4:44 remaining.

That's as close as the Jazz would get.

A basket by Odom and a foul shot by Bryant made it 94-87 with 3:28 to go. The Jazz drew within five points on two free throws by Williams, but three baskets by Gasol in a span of 68 seconds put the game out of reach.

Notes: The Lakers have a 51-7 all-time record when winning the opener of a seven-game series. ... The teams are meeting in the postseason for the fourth time. The Lakers won 4-3 in a second-round series in 1988 - a year before Sloan was hired. The Jazz won 4-1 in the second round in 1997 and swept the Lakers 4-0 the following year in the conference finals. The Jazz reached the NBA finals in 1997 and 1998, but lost to the Chicago Bulls 4-2 each time. Jackson was the Bulls' coach at that time. ... Boozer had seven of his team's 13 turnovers. The Lakers also turned the ball over 13 times.

Exclusive - Niki Lauda reviews the season so far…

With four races gone, four drivers having claimed pole positions and three having stood atop the podium, the 2008 season is proving highly competitive - and therefore relatively difficult to evaluate.

That does not, however, deter three time world champion Niki Lauda from trying - despite the as-yet uncertain pecking order. Speaking exclusively to Formula1.com, Lauda reveals his thoughts on the season so far, with a quick-fire review of how the best - and the rest - have performed…

On Ferrari:
Q: Have the world champions kept up last season’s momentum?
Niki Lauda: That’s very easy, as last year does not count. This year they have certainly kept the momentum, as they are the most competitive team at the moment.

Q: There has been a transition of leadership from Jean Todt to Stefano Domenicali - what has it meant for the team?
NL: I don’t know, but at the moment the team works perfectly.

Q: In the battle between Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, who do you think will come out on top? And do you believe the team will eventually favour one driver?
NL: The team will always lean towards one driver - the quicker one - and all indications for now point towards Kimi.

Q: After a difficult start in Melbourne, Raikkonen has now started to show performances worthy of a champion. Is he leading the pack?
NL: For the moment Kimi is definitely the leader of the pack, but we have to see how the next few races go.

Q: Felipe Massa’s performances are a bit inconsistent at the moment. Why do you think that is? Is something eating the Brazilian?
NL: If Massa gets his things right, he is certainly able to win races.

On McLaren:
Q: Has the spy saga affected McLaren?
NL: No, I don’t think so, because they started very well this year, and at the moment they have to get the momentum back, because BMW Sauber has caught right up.

Q: In the Lewis Hamilton versus Heikki Kovalainen battle, who do you believe will come out on top?
NL: Hamilton has had a difficult start to this season, as he has made some mistakes, nevertheless he will come back stronger. Kovalainen surprised in the first races so I hope he is able to put his high-speed accident (in Barcelona) quickly behind him.

Q: Do you think Hamilton is caving in a bit under the pressure of being a championship contender?
NL: Lewis will certainly make a comeback - he just made a couple of mistakes in the beginning.

On BMW Sauber:
Q: Are BMW Sauber still the third power on the grid or have they already got the better of McLaren?
NL: At the moment BMW is fighting with McLaren for the second position behind Ferrari, and Barcelona was a key race in determining who will keep the edge.

Q: Were BMW Sauber the real winners of last year’s spy scandal, as they were able to fully concentrate on their development?
NL: I don’t see a connection. BMW’s development of their car was constant.

Q: Have you been surprised by their performance?
NL: My surprise was that they were that strong at the beginning of the season.

Q: Who will come out on top between Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica?
NL: Both are having a very even run, so for the moment I cannot tell, as both are very competitive.

Q: Kubica is currently third in the driver standings. Could he be a potential runner-up in the championship?
NL: It is too early to say - I have no idea at the moment. Much depends on how quickly BMW Sauber are able to close the gap to Ferrari.

Q: Heidfeld was second in the standings before his unhappy race in Barcelona. Will he win his first race this season?
NL: Again, it is too early to say. I have no idea at the moment. But for him it will be the same as it is for Kubica. The team’s development speed is key.

On Williams:
Q: For Williams the start of the season has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride - one race on top, while the next is a flop. Will they be able to stabilise their performance?
NL: In certain conditions they seem to have no grip, which is the main reason for these up and downs. So their major concern needs to be finding out the reason for this problem and then correct it.

Q: Did Nico Rosberg make a good decision when he decided to stay with the British team?
NL: It’s too early to say.

On Toyota:
Q: Are the Japanese team finally on their way to the top? Do you believe the departure of Ralf Schumacher has helped that development?
NL: Ralf’s departure has nothing to do with that. They are certainly much more competitive than in the past, because the development seemed to be in the right direction.

Q: Can Jarno Trulli finally mould the Toyota to his driving style and push the team forward?
NL: Jarno, together with a better performance from the team, can possibly bring the team forward.

On Renault:
Q: The French squad have had a disappointing start to the season? Where did they go wrong?
NL: Renault is just not quick enough at the moment, and for them it is a very long way to get back to the top.

Q: Can an exceptional driver like Fernando Alonso put things back on track?
NL: Alonso’s return to Renault certainly made for a big change from the drivers’ point of view. But in the end it’s very simple - the car needs to get quicker, so Alonso can do a better job.

On Red Bull:
Q: Has chief technical officer Adrian Newey lost his magic touch?
NL: Not at all, but the team has many issues, especially as they have had to overcome a huge reliability problem.

On Toro Rosso:
Q: If they have to sever ties with Red Bull Technology and become constructors again, what will it mean for the team?
NL: They are on hold for the moment, as they have to wait (and see) what will happen with Red Bull.

Q: What do you think will be the future of the team on and off track?
NL: The future of the team will depend on the owner. Mateschitz wants to sell it, which is certainly not good for the team’s motivation.

On Honda:
Q: Will Ross Brawn be able to turn the team around?
NL: Ross will definitely make a turn around for the team, but it will take time.

On Force India:
Q: Have the team’s new owners made a good start?
NL: Certainly yes, as they have already made a lot of improvements to Spyker. Last year they were nowhere and now you can sometimes find them in the middle of the field.

Q: For Giancarlo Fisichella the move from a top team to a backmarker must have been a big mental challenge…
NL: Yes, for sure a very hard mental challenge, but he is doing a very good job at the moment.

On Super Aguri:
Q: Are they still fit enough for Formula One racing?
NL: Very difficult to say, as they are fighting to get their budget together. Only then, we can judge them.