Reigning champion Golden Kings open season with victory

The bj-league's eighth season tipped off on Saturday with three games, and the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings defeated the host Kyoto Hannaryz 82-73 in Koto Toyama's first game at the helm.

Toyama coached the Miyazaki Shining Suns during the past two seasons before being named the third head coach in Ryukyu history.

(Official game statistics were unavailable at press time, eight hours after the 3 p.m. tipoff.)

Big Bulls 88, Albirex BB 82

In Niigata, Dai Oketani, who guided Ryukyu to a pair of championships, earned a victory in his first game on the bench for the Tohoku franchise, now in its second season.

Former Ryukyu center Dillion Sneed had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for Iwate.

After the game, Sneed summed up the season-opening win this way on Facebook: "Positive start to the season right there."

Longtime Sendai 89ers guard Kenichi Takahashi scored 20 points, including 10-for-12 at the free-throw line, for Iwate, while fellow newcomer Reggie Okosa had 14 points. Marquette University product Lawrence Blackledge scored 12, grabbed nine boards and blocked six shots. Masato Tsukino sank three 3-pointers and contributed 11 points in the victory.

For Niigata, forward Rodney Webb had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Nile Murry scored 17 and Chris Holm grabbed 12 rebounds.

An announced crowd of 3,189 attended the game.

89ers 63, Phoenix 61

In Hamamatsu, Sendai edged the hosts in a defensive struggle that went down the wire.

The teams shot a combined 46-for-148 from the field.

It was Hamamatsu Higashimikawa's first game as a member of the Western Conference after a distinguished four-season stint in the Eastern Conference, which included two championships and a championship runnerup finish last season.

"We're just happy to open the season with a win on the road against a great team like Hamamatsu," Sendai coach Bob Pierce told The Japan Times. "We came out running — 22 points in the first quarter — but then Hamamatsu's defense toughened up."

In the fourth quarter, Sendai trailed 52-45, but rallied back to take a six-point edge, 63-57, with 2 minutes remaining.

"That 18-5 run was what saved us despite some overall sloppy play throughout," Pierce said.

89ers newcomer Sam Willard, a University of the Pacific product, had 15 rebounds in his bj-league debut. He scored six of his seven points in the fourth quarter. Pierce called his fourth-quarter offensive output "six hard-earned points ... (that) were part of our run to re-take the lead for good."

Kevin Coble, who played college ball at Northwestern University, scored a team-best 17 points for Sendai, and DePaul product Karron Clarke "did a little bit of everything," the Sendai coach said, noting his strong defense and nine rebounds.

Sendai captain and fan favorite Takehiko Shimura poured in 16 points, handed out four assists and made three steals. Guard Yasuaki Arai, a former Saitama Bronco, had six points and four assists in his first game for the 89ers.

For the Phoenix, Kevin Galloway (Texas Southern) had 20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists and one-time MVP Jeffrey Parmer (Florida Atlantic) scored 18 points and raked in 12 rebounds, while 211-cm Elbert Fuqua (Texas-San Antonio) had nine points and 11 boards.

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Reigning champion Radwanska reaches Pan Pacific Open final

World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska moved within a win of becoming the first Pan Pacific Open champion to defend the title in eight years after defeating Angelique Kerber in the semifinals Friday.

Saluting the crowd: World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska beats Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on Friday in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals in Tokyo. KYODO

Radwanska cruised past fifth seed Kerber in 59 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1. The last player to win the title back to back was Lindsay Davenport in 2003-2004.

In Saturday's final, Radwanska will face surprising Russian veteran Nadia Petrova who beat an injured Samantha Stosur, last season's U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-2.

"There were a lot of tight games especially in the end," Radwanska said of her match with Kerber, who reached the last four by default after world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka pulled out.

"She's a big fighter, she never gives up. I think I played a good match today. Everything was working today and I'm happy about that."

Radwanska, a part-time student back in her native Poland, and the 30-year-old Petrova last played each other in 2008, when they met four times with Radwanska winning on three of those occasions.

"She's been playing great tennis this week and played a lot of good tight matches," the 23-year-old Radwanska said of Petrova. "For sure it won't be easy, but I'm just very happy I could reach the final again and will do everything to win the title."

Kerber tried to make a contest out of the match, taking the first game of the second set. But Radwanska — who did not double fault once whereas Kerber had seven — won the next six games to underline her domination.

In the first semifinal at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Stosur lacked the flair she showed a night earlier when she eliminated Petrova's compatriot Maria Sharapova, going down 6-4, 6-2 to the 17th seed.

Petrova defeated No. 6 Sara Errani in the quarterfinals in three sets despite a bad back, and did not slow down against the ninth-ranked Stosur.

Petrova landed nine aces compared to none by Stosur, who did not convert a single break point.

Petrova reached the Pan Pacific Open final for her first time, and her second final of the season following the UNICEF Open she won in the Netherlands, in June.

"Sam is a tough opponent to play," she said. "She has a strong forehand and likes to dominate the game. With her you have to be alert, you have to play your best and I think I accomplished that today."

Petrova needed treatment on her lower back during her victory over Errani but said it was not an issue against Stosur.

"My back is doing well, I'm very pleased," Petrova said. "Overall at this stage, me and Agnieszka are beaten up already but this is the final. This is the last match of the tournament. You have to give it your best and everything you have left."

Stosur, on the other hand, did have physical issues against Petrova as she suffered an abdominal injury early in the match.

"I did something to myself in the third game of the match and I kind of kept going thinking it would go away but it didn't seem to," Stosur said. "I got some treatment and got it taped up and I was able to keep playing but I guess it's not the ideal situation."

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Understanding Champion Sports Bras

Torres doubts future at new champion Chelsea

MADRID — Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has cast doubt over his future at the newly crowned European champions, labeling this past season as the most difficult of his career.

Prized possession: Chelsea's Fernando Torres kisses the Champions League trophy after beating Bayern Munich on Saturday. AFP-JIJI

The ?50 million ($79 million) Spain international, who hit just six league goals this season, told Spanish sports newspaper AS that he was extremely disappointed not to be in the starting lineup for Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

He added that he wants clarity over his role in the team.

"This season I have felt things that I hadn't felt before. I feel that I have been treated in a manner I did not expect, not the way they said when I signed for the club," Torres said.

"We have had many conversations and now the season is finished we will talk to see what happens with my future because what I have gone through this year is not the role for which I came.

"There have been many highs and lows, many times I felt lost. I wasn't sure what to do, I felt like I didn't know where to be."

Torres was an 84th-minute substitute at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, earning the corner from which Didier Drogba equalized, but did not take a penalty in the shootout.

Despite his limited contribution in Saturday's showpiece, Torres admitted Chelsea's improbable run to the Champions League title helped soothe his personal pain after a challenging year with the west London outfit.

"A victory like the one in Munich makes up for it, but I want someone to tell me what will happen in the future," he said.

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Champion Bruins ousted by Caps in OT

BOSTON — This year, the Washington Capitals appear to have saved their best for the postseason.

In there somewhere: Washington's Mike Knuble reacts after teammate Joel Ward scored the winning goal against Boston in overtime of Game 7 on Wednesday night. The Capitals beat the Bruins 2-1 to take the series 4-3. AP

Joel Ward slammed home a rebound at 2:57 of overtime to give Washington a 2-1 victory over Boston in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night, sending the Capitals to Eastern Conference semifinals and ending the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins' hopes of a repeat.

Rookie Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots for Washington in the seventh one-goal game of the series. Matt Hendricks also scored for the Capitals, who barely made the playoffs this year after finishing atop the Eastern Conference in each of the previous two seasons — and winning just one postseason series combined.

"It's a nice sense of accomplishment to be able to get over the hump," Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. "It's nice to turn the page, and maybe we're writing a new script."

Tim Thomas made 26 saves for Boston, which was hoping to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98. Tyler Seguin scored the Bruins' only goal.

It was the first time in NHL history that a playoff series had seven games determined by one goal. Four of the games went to overtime, and two others were decided with less than two minutes left in regulation.

"It was very close," Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "We shouldn't be disappointed in what we did this season. We just came up short."

Hendricks scored midway through the first period, and Seguin tied it in the second. It stayed that way through a scoreless third, with Washington killing off a penalty in the final 3 minutes to send the game into overtime.

Patrice Bergeron had a chance to win it in the first minute of the extra period, but he couldn't get off a solid shot from Holtby's right. Two minutes later, the Capitals broke into the Boston zone with former Bruin Mike Knuble leading a 2-on-1.

Knuble shot, and Thomas left the rebound out where Ward could reach it with his backhander.

"When I saw the puck there, I just took a whack at it," Ward said. "It was a sense of relief, a great accomplishment."

The building fell silent as the Capitals celebrated just their third postseason series win since a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. Some fans littered the ice with debris, but the Bruins waited patiently for the postgame handshake.

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Defending champion Bruins rise from worst to first after slow start

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins got off to a horrid start to their Stanley Cup championship defense, winning just three of their first 10 games and landing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

After an incredible two-month surge, they're back on top.

"They deserve a lot of credit for that and they worked hard to accomplish that and I think it's important that they enjoy the three days of the Christmas holiday they have," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after Boston beat Florida 8-0 on Friday night for its 20th win in 23 games.

It's easy to see why the Bruins have been nearly unbeatable since losing two in a row to Montreal at the end of October.

They enter the NHL's three-day Christmas break with the most goals scored (119) and the fewest allowed (63) in the NHL. A recipe for success for any team — not just defending champs.

During the Bruins' rough stretch, the players heard complaints and some boos from the hometown fans. They sensed the disappointment and feel as if they've responded with a similar effort that saw them win the organization's first title in 39 years.

"We were sitting at the 15th spot in October with a lot of criticism on us so we realize that this is a game that things change quickly and oftentimes things change through hard work and that's what I think we did the last two months," forward Gregory Campbell said. "We worked hard, we played our game and we played consistent. It's a tough league. Every night is a battle and every night you have to compete. Wins aren't always going to flow as easily, or not as easily, but I think as pure as they have, but as long as we're competing and playing our game, I think that's our goal right now."

The big offensive night against Florida was hardly unusual for the Bruins this season. They've scored six or more goals nine times — eight coming in their last 22 games. Quite a run for a team known for its defense.

"I think it goes to show that we have probably more talent than sometimes people give us credit for," Julien said of the team's offensive outburst. "We play a good team game, we create our scoring chances and right now our guys are scoring some pretty nice goals."

Behind the offense is the top goalie tandem in the league. Both Tim Thomas — last season's winner of the Vezina and Conn Smythe trophies — and Tuukka Rask have goals-against averages under 1.85, making the Bruins the NHL's only team with two goalies allowing under two goals a game. The pair have combined for three shutouts in Boston's last five games and held opponents to two goals or less 22 times this season.

"It's a big-time luxury. I'm not going to hide that fact. It doesn't matter who you put in net right now, you know you're going to get good goaltending," Julien said.

"Both guys have been at the top of their game, which allows you to put in one or the other. The other guy gets a rest and the other guy stays sharp. They're both very supportive of that approach and they're OK with it. That just makes us such a better team by having that situation right now. We're extremely fortunate because most teams in this league don't have that approach or luxury."

The players talked after Friday's win about how they realize now what it took to recover from the rough start but they hardly seemed content with where they're at, considering that the calendar hasn't even turned to 2012.

"We're feeling good about ourselves. We're confident, but we can't, we always said it before, we can't be satisfied," forward Patrice Bergeron said. "Now we have a couple days to rest and make sure we get ready for the second half of the season because it's going to get tougher."

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