The New Jersey Nets controlled Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade better than they ever could have imagined and still were hammered by the Miami Heat.

O’Neal and Wade combined for just 31 points, but former Net Alonzo Mourning came off the bench to score 21 and grab nine rebounds in 16 minutes as Miami rolled to a 102-85 triumph over New Jersey and a 2-0 advantage in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Wade scored 32 points and O’Neal added 17 and 11 rebounds in Miami’s easy 116-98 triumph in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Sunday. In this one, the Nets all but shut down Miami’s two All-Stars, holding them to a total of just 16 points through three quarters.

With Wade and O’Neal struggling – and Game One star Damon Jones relatively held in check – Miami figured to be in trouble, but that was far from the case. The Heat opened the contest with the game’s first seven points and scored the final eight of the first quarter to seize a 26-16 lead after 12 minutes.

When the Nets got within 32-30 midway through the second quarter, Mourning had the final four points in a 14-4 burst that all but sealed the game. Mourning, showing a lot of emotion on both ends of the floor and against the team he began the season with, capped that pivotal spurt with a three-point play over New Jersey center Nenad Krstic.

Mourning also had the final eight points in a 19-8 third-quarter run that opened a 72-52 lead with 2:34 left in the period. He made 6-of-8 shots and 9-of-12 free throws in the contest before fouling out in the waning moments.

“My game is not a surprise to me, I feel like I’m a Hall of Fame player,” Mourning said. “Nothing I do now surprises me. I didn’t forget how to play the game. … The front office has assembled this team for one reason – to win a championship. We want to kill the thought of this being a one- or two-man team. … We know what we’re capable of doing. I know what I’m capable of doing.”

“Zo was unbelievable tonight,” Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He had 21 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes. That is one of the most productive lines that you will ever see. He was absolutely great.”

The 13-year veteran had just six points in 14 minutes in Game One and averaged only 7.6 points in 37 games during the regular season. But with O’Neal enduring one of the worst postseason games of his career, Mourning took over, posting his highest point total this season.

“It’s good to be on a good team,” said O’Neal, who reportedly had a “secret team meeting” prior to the game to show his teammates his three championship rings. “Guys are definitely carrying me now. I’m sore, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. The first timeout, Zo grabbed me and said, ‘Big fella, you look kind of slow, you look kind of weak. I’ve got your back, I’m going to step it up.'”

“Alonzo did a great job. There must be something in the air down here or in the water because he does not get tired,” Nets forward Brian Scalabrine said. “He can all of a sudden grab offensive rebounds and dunk on people.”

O’Neal had 14 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, admitting after the game he felt “slowed.” Wade had 17 points and 10 assists for Miami, which has won 21 of its last 22 games at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Vince Carter led New Jersey with 21 points, Richard Jefferson chipped in 14 and Jason Kidd 10, but the trio combined to shoot just 15-of-40. The Nets made just 28-of-78 shots overall.

“We did a good job of containing Wade and some of their perimeter shooters, but they are a balanced team,” Jefferson said. “When you take one thing away, they will get you in another spot.”

“Obviously, Alonzo was a game-changer,” Nets coach Lawrence Franksaid. “Alonzo was really dominant in the paint. We probably gave him too many layups in and around the paint.”

The series shifts to New Jersey for Game 3 on Thursday.

Few teams in college football have ever had a running back tandem with the ability and production that Auburn received from Brown and Carnell Williams. Brown, blessed with the size of a fullback and the speed of a sprinter, is an excellent receiver in addition to his skills as a power runner. Brown, a Communications major, spent last spring interning at the Auburn Network, where he edited and produced highlight films. Based on his stellar performances as a Tiger the last four years, his own highlight tape might be longer than “Gone With the Wind.”

Brown gained 1,931 yards on 206 carries (9.4 avg.) and scored 25 touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 343 yards (22.9 avg.) and three scores as a senior at Cartersville High School. He also competed as a free safety and intercepted three passes, earning Georgia Class 2A Player of the Year. He scored three touchdowns and rushed for 180 yards on 20 carries in a 27-21 win in the state championship game that year. The three-year starter rushed for 936 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.

Draft Order as of today.

1 San Francisco

2 Miami

3 Cleveland

4 Chicago

5 Tampa Bay

6 Tennessee

7 Minnesota (from Oakland)

8 Arizona

9 Washington

10 Detroit

11 Dallas

12 San Diego (from N.Y. Giants)

13 Houston

14 Carolina

15 Kansas City

Finally, after months of previews, the lights have dimmed and the curtains have opened on the NFL draft’s trade market. While two-plus days remain for deals to rise and fall, at least one mega trade has appeared on the horizon.

A league source said Wednesday that the Miami Dolphins, who have avidly pursued trading down from the No. 2 overall pick, are on the verge of trading that choice to the Minnesota Vikings for the seventh and 18th picks, as well as another mid-round choice. Several signs point to the deal coming to fruition in the next few days.

“Imminent is a little strong, but I think it has momentum,” the source said.

It now appears Miami has been targeting Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the No. 2 pick � which was precisely what one NFC coach insisted at the March owners’ meetings. But with Smith in negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami may be forced to go with Plan B with the second selection.

Contrary to popular belief, it now appears that Auburn running back Ronnie Brown is not being targeted by the Dolphins. In reality, communication between Miami and Brown has been a bare minimum over the last month, an odd occurrence for someone expected to be head coach Nick Saban’s first-ever draft choice.

That, combined with the possibility that San Francisco will be taking Smith with the No. 1 pick, has opened the door for the Minnesota Vikings, who are attempting to move to the top of the draft to select Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The Vikings have placed “exploratory” calls to both San Francisco and Miami to find out the price tag for obtaining their picks.

Opinions across the league are splintered about the value of trading up in the draft, and the Vikings would be paying a handsome price by surrendering two first-round picks to grab Edwards. However, he’s widely considered the best player in the draft and would go a long way toward filling the void left by Randy Moss.

As most expected, teams have begun to loosen their ties and hunker down just a few days before the draft begins on Saturday. While most of the major trades won’t begin to occur until Saturday morning, word is slowly leaking out of what’s in the works.

Among the other trades that are expected to pick up steam in the next 48 hours:

Miami cornerback Patrick Surtain for the Kansas City Chiefs’ second-round pick.

Mike Tyson hunched in his chair and tapped his 9-year-old daughter’s hand while she rested her head on Daddy’s ample shoulder. Later, the heavyweight once called “the baddest man on the planet” cuddled his napping son.

“I feel like Mr. Mom,” Tyson said, then stomped his foot and smiled at his own joke. Wearing a pinstriped suit, he could have been any family man, albeit one with a tattoo on his face.

Silent and expressionless for the first 15 minutes of Tuesday’s news conference to announce his return to the ring, a scheduled June 11 bout at the MCI Center against journeyman Kevin McBride of Ireland, Tyson lit up and laughed when his foe’s manager promised an upset.

And from that point forth, Tyson came close to being the Tyson everyone has come to expect: the curiosity that promoters hope can still sell tickets and pay-per-view buys even though he’s 38 and lost two of his past three fights.

He talked about sinking into depression, called McBride “real cute,” labeled himself “probably the worst husband in the world,” and told a PR person running the show to “chill out” when she pointed out it was time for more posed photos.

Yes, The Mike Tyson Show is headed to the nation’s capital.

“I just hope these people of Washington, D.C., are prepared to handle this,” Tyson said. “It’s going to be a train wreck.”

It will be the former champion’s first fight in nearly a year, and just his second in 28 months. In his most recent outing, at Louisville on July 30, he was stopped in the fourth round by Danny Williams after tearing cartilage in his left knee. Tyson had surgery � the knee is fine, he said Tuesday � and he’s been training in Phoenix for three weeks.

He’s been more than $30 million in debt, and when asked how much longer he thinks he’ll keep fighting, Tyson answered: “Long enough to take care of my children � a long time.”

The 6-foot-6 McBride, who’s 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts, was originally supposed to be Tyson’s opponent for that July bout. Make no mistake, this fight is entirely about Tyson. McBride’s name wasn’t even uttered by master of ceremonies Rock Newman until nearly 20 minutes into Tuesday’s event.

“It’s a no-win situation for me,” said Tyson, 50-5 with two no contests and 44 knockouts. “If I knock him out in two seconds, he’s a bum. If he gives me a shellacking, I’m a bum.”

For his part, McBride vowed at least three times: “I’m going to shock the world.”

His manager, Rich Cappiello, was more specific.

“If people are thinking we’re coming to lay down … we are coming out to knock Mike Tyson out. He had his day. His day’s gone. I think Mike Tyson gets knocked out within five rounds,” Cappiello said.

That’s when the first crease crossed Tyson’s face as he laughed.

“We are going to stop Mike Tyson and hopefully end his career,” Cappiello added.

Later, in a classic Freudian slip, Cappiello wrapped up his speech by proclaiming, “We’re going to go out there and knock Kevin � uh, Mike Tyson � out.”

Claiming that Michael Vick gave her herpes, a Georgia woman is suing the star NFL quarterback for negligence and battery. According to the below lawsuit, Sonya Elliot, a 26-year-old health care worker, was infected with the sexually transmitted disease in April 2003 after an unprotected encounter with Vick at the athlete’s Duluth, Georgia home. Elliott alleges that after testing positive for Herpes Simplex 2, she confronted the Atlanta Falcons star, 24, about her condition. “I’ve got something to tell you. I’ve got it,” Vick admitted to her, according to Elliott’s State Court complaint, which alleges that Vick then told her that “he had not known how to tell her about his condition, and that it was not something that he liked to talk about.” Elliott’s complaint also contends that Vick “apologized profusely” for not telling her he was infected with the STD. Elliot’s lawsuit alleges that Vick has used the name “Ron Mexico” and, in a related court filing, her lawyers are seeking Vick’s admission that he used the “Mexico” alias–and perhaps other fake names–“for the purpose of herpes testing and/or treatment.” In her lawsuit, which does not specify monetary damages, Elliott states that she met Vick at a Virginia Beach nightclub in May 2001 and, shortly thereafter, began a close personal relationship with the football star (though the couple did not have sex until late-2002). Last December, Vick, the top overall pick in the 2001 National Football League draft, signed a ten-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons, the richest deal in league history.

Hell yea when it comes to exciting games. I mean these cats are playing with true heart. Scrappin’ hard to get to the finals. That shit is missing from NBA ball. Dudes just seem like they going through the motions.

Hats off to the NCAA March Madness this year is exciting as hell.

Paul Silas was hired to mentor the NBA’s next superstar. While he succeeded with LeBron James, his failure with the rest of the team cost him his job.

Silas was fired as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, his team fighting for a playoff spot after leading its division earlier this year. Longtime NBA assistant Brendan Malone was appointed interim coach.

The dismissal came with 18 games left and the team clinging to the fifth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. James seems to have been the only player who saw the move coming.

“You could kind of tell the way the air was, how things were going around here, there was going to have to be a change,” said James, who scored a franchise-record 56 points Sunday. “I didn’t know it was going to be this soon.”

Silas told The Associated Press he was informed at a morning meeting with general manager Jim Paxson and new owner Dan Gilbert. Silas’ son, assistant Stephen Silas, also was fired.

“They didn’t think the team was performing as well as it should be and they wanted to make a change,” Paul Silas said.

Malone will coach Tuesday night’s game at home against Detroit. He acknowledged he’s in a tough situation, taking over a team late in the season that is expected to reach the playoffs.

Tonight, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant will face each other for the second time since “the divorce” (or the third time, counting the All-Star Game). What used to be the best story about basketball has now become the best story in basketball … which has nothing to do with basketball. It has become a saga of Bush/Moore proportions, one that makes 50 and The Game’s beef look vegetarian, one that has an impact on a generation much like that of two hungry, young, gifted MCs who came into the game to prove they had skills and prove that they belonged and wound up changing the world.

Theirs is a story that really isn’t one, this Kobe and Shaq tale. They played together for six years. Half the time together they won chips, the other half they didn’t. At times, they loved each other; at times, they didn’t. The “B” in the NBA stands for business: trades happen; free agency occurs when contracts expire; coaches retire. We the media made a story out of this. We the media will continue to do so. The angle: a severed friendship. “It’ll be better than ‘Tilt,'” a producer will scream to an announcer, an editor to a reporter. A real-life soap opera. Too bad Mark Burnett didn’t think of it first.

They will say nothing to each other. Kobe might make an attempt to holla, Shaq will make an attempt not to hear it. “General Hospital” material. But what makes the Shaq/Kobe dynamic die-namic is not what doesn’t exist anymore between them; it’s the nature of what has been created. The hatred, the betrayal, the fact that none of us knows whom to blame, the fact that both of them are to blame. “One More Chance” or “Hail Mary”? Can’t choose both.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Johnny Davis was fired Thursday as coach of the Orlando Magic, who have lost six straight games and are on the verge of falling from playoff contention. Assistant Chris Jent was named interim coach.

“We work in a bottom line business,” general manager John Weisbrod said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to do everything possible to create the best opportunity for success.”

Davis was dismissed along with assistant coach Ron Ekker hours after Wednesday night’s 110-102 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, dropping the Magic to 31-33 and leaving them tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The team, in the middle of a West Coast road swing, plays Friday at Seattle.

Davis told the Orlando Sentinel he was “surprised and disappointed” by the firing with just 18 games left in the season and the club still trying to make the playoffs.

“It caught me completely off guard,” Davis told the newspaper.

Jent, who spent two seasons in the NBA and was a member of the 1994 champion Houston Rockets, became a Magic assistant this season and is a head coach for the first time. He was promoted over assistant Paul Westhead, who coached the Los Angeles Lakers to the 1980 title and later coached the Denver Nuggets.

Davis was hired as coach on Nov. 17, 2003, replacing Doc Rivers when last season’s team was 1-10 and on its way to losing 19 straight. Later in the season under Davis, the team lost 13 straight, including an NBA-record seven straight by at least 15 points and finished 21-61.

In the offseason, the team traded All-Star forward Tracy McGrady to Houston. Orlando showed improvement before its recent slump.

Davis, a low-key coach, seemed to lose control of his players. In Sunday’s 98-82 home loss to New Jersey, the Magic received several technical fouls and scuffled with the Nets. Reserve guard DeShawn Stevenson booted the ball into the stands at the buzzer and forward Stacy Augmon squirted lotion on reporters in the locker room.

Davis’ overall record with the Magic was 51-84. He also coached Philadelphia in 1996-97, going 22-60 there.

Attorneys in the sexual assault lawsuit against Kobe Bryant said Monday a long-awaited deposition by the NBA star was postponed, prompting speculation a settlement is in the works.

Bryant was to face a full day of questioning on Friday by L. Lin Wood and John Clune, attorneys for Bryant’s 20-year-old accuser, but Wood said the session was called off after his team arrived in Orange County, Calif., for the meeting.

The deposition — where attorneys question a party to a lawsuit before trial, without a judge present — would have been the first time Bryant had spoken under oath about what happened.

Wood declined further comment. Clune and Bryant’s lead attorney Pamela Mackey did not immediately return calls.

“It sounds like somebody’s talking numbers,” said veteran plaintiff’s attorney Mel Hewitt of Atlanta. “We do that in a lot of cases. We’ll push for the deposition knowing they don’t want to talk to us and hopefully that makes somebody want to drag their checkbook out.”

He said the deposition might also have been postponed for a simpler reason, such as an illness.

U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch previously refused to bar the woman’s lawyers from asking Bryant about his sexual history. He said he would handle any objections to the questions afterward.

Denver attorney Dan Recht said that ruling may help put pressure on Bryant to settle.

“In this case, because of the publicity value of it all, it does in fact apply pressure to the defendant to consider serious negotiations,” Recht said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for mental injuries, humiliation and public scorn the woman said she has suffered since her June 2003 encounter with Bryant at the Vail-area resort where she worked.

The woman, now married and pregnant, sued Bryant in Denver federal court last summer, three weeks before the criminal case against him in Eagle County collapsed when she decided she could not take part in a trial.

Bryant, a married father of one, issued an apology but insisted the sex was consensual.

Matsch has said he hoped the trial could begin this summer.