Davis Is Fined by Cavaliers for Stat Stunt

The Cleveland Cavaliers fined swingman Ricky Davis an undisclosed sum for trying to pad his statistics by shooting at the opponent’s basket.

Coach Keith Smart initially said that embarrassment was punishment enough for Cleveland’s leading scorer. But the team said Tuesday night that Davis has been fined.

Davis was hoping to get one more rebound during a 122-95 victory over Utah on Sunday. He was trying to reach his first career triple-double in the final seconds.

Davis purposely missed the shot, hoping to get his 10th rebound off the miss. But NBA rules forbid him from being credited with the shot or the rebound.

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NBA basketball games came to a halt or had their starting times delayed Wednesday night during President Bush’s speech announcing that the United States had launched a war against Iraq.

At Portland’s Rose Garden, a hush came over a crowd that had been buzzing in anticipation of the Trail Blazers’ game against the Houston Rockets. Following the speech, most fans applauded.

The New York Knicks-New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers-Memphis Grizzlies games were interrupted by the speech. Players went to their locker rooms during Bush’s speech, then returned to the court for warmups.

At Memphis, spectators cheered when Bush said the attacks had begun. At Oakland, sporadic boos greeted Bush’s message when it was shown on the arena scoreboard.