Ron Artest searching for his shot
Ron Artest‘s poor shooting against the Oklahoma City Thunder has overshadowed his stellar defense on Kevin Durant.ÃÂ
Artest shot better than Trevor Ariza this season.ÃÂ
Kobe Bryant, lauded as a facilitator against the Thunder, has averaged 4.6 assists, slightly below his all-time playoff mark.ÃÂ
Michael Jordan won the first of his six championships with the Chicago Bulls in his seventh NBA season.ÃÂ
This is season No. 7 for LeBron James.ÃÂ
Shaquille O’Neal dubbed a recent spin move “Diesel Truck With No Brakes,” perhaps sparking interest from Toyota.ÃÂ
Trivia time: What major league pitcher, a right-hander who played his final game 60 years ago this summer, wore the name of his hometown on the back of his uniform? ÃÂ
Tuesday at Dodger Stadium brings Fleece Blanket Night, otherwise known as the only night of the season where the Dodgers readily admit to fleecing fans.ÃÂ
In a new song titled “Despicable,” Eminem makes reference to Ben Roethlisberger: “I’d rather turn this club into a barroom brawl / Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall.” ÃÂ
Good luck, Marshall Mathers, getting tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game at Heinz Field next season.ÃÂ
Alan Siegel, a New York branding expert who designed the NBA logo and oversaw development of the Major League Baseball logo, says the batter depicted on the baseball emblem is not Harmon Killebrew, as is rumored, but rather a generic image.ÃÂ
Floyd Mayweather Jr., addressing complaints that his fights lack drama as he prepares for Saturday’s bout against “Sugar” Shane Mosley: “I can’t help that it’s so one-sided they say the fight is boring. That’s not my fault. I’m just that good.” ÃÂ
Only two Kentucky Derby winners have won from the No. 20 post, the unfortunate starting position assigned to Santa Anita Derby winner Sidney’s Candy for Saturday’s race.ÃÂ
Twelve have won from the No. 1 post, where favorite Lookin At Lucky will start, but none since 1986.ÃÂ
None of the NHL’s Eastern Conference division winners -- the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and, most notably, Alex Ovechkin and the top-seeded Washington Capitals -- made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.ÃÂ
When Tiger Woods met with reporters this week at Charlotte, N.C., a third of the 76 seats in the media room were empty.ÃÂ
Led by sprinter Ahmad Rashad, no relation to the sportscaster of the same name, the USC men’s track team enters Saturday’s dual meet against UCLA hoping to outscore the Bruins at Drake Stadium for the first time since 1977.ÃÂ
The sportscaster, by the way, was known as Bobby Moore when he played football at Oregon from 1969 to 1971.ÃÂ
With Kevin Pillar of Cal State Dominguez Hills hoping to extend a 47-game hitting streak Friday against Cal State Stanislaus, reader Danny Lee of Studio City e-mails to suggest it could be like Christmas because “Stanislaus is coming to town.” ÃÂ
A Sporting News Today list of 25 top prospects for next year’s NFL draft included only one from the Pacific 10 Conference: Washington quarterback Jake Locker.ÃÂ
When the Oakland A’s turned five double plays in a game last week, reader Rick Sinclair of West Los Angeles was reminded of a 1966 game at Boston in which the Angels turned six, all featuring a putout and assist by second baseman Bobby Knoop.ÃÂ
Among the employees at the NFL Network are three with names that at one time or another probably have come in handy when making dinner reservations in Boston: Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Dennis Johnson.ÃÂ
None is a pro athlete.ÃÂ
Tyreke Evans follows Derrick Rose as the second consecutive NBA rookie of the year coached in college by John Calipari, who might have another next season in John Wall.ÃÂ
Claiming he didn’t know much about Matt Treanor before the Texas Rangers catcher homered and doubled against him this week, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox told reporters, “He’s married to some volleyball player.” ÃÂ
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, of course, is more than just “some volleyball player.” ÃÂ
Trivia answer: Bill Voiselle, of Ninety Six, S.C. ÃÂ
“Tell me,” reader Tim Gannon of Huntington Beach e-mails to ask, “why can’t Tim Tebow‘s career mirror Steve Young‘s?” ÃÂ
The Denver Broncos hope it can.
jerome.crowe@latimes.com
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