This Week in Sports :: January 1-4, 2008

The New England Patriots

New England finishes off the season undefeated and an old NBA rivalry is rekindled. Check out what else happened this week!

New England Invincible

The New England Patriots capped off an unbelievable season by defeating the New York Giants in a close game Saturday night. The victory gave the Patriots the first undefeated NFL season since the Miami Dolphins did it in 1972. Superstars Tom Brady and Randy Moss also broke individual records during that final game that made the Patriots 16-0. Brady's 65-yard pass to Moss for a touchdown in the fourth quarter set the NFL season record for passing touchdowns in a season of 50 for Brady, and most caught touchdowns of 23 for Moss. On Thursday, coach Bill Belichick was named the Coach of the Year by the AP. Whether the Patriots win the Super Bowl from here will determine if they are better than the legendary '72 Dolphins as the best team in NFL history.

Lakers vs. Celtics

One of the greatest rivalries in NBA history is back. For the first time since the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are both championship contenders. On Sunday, Kevin Garnett and the Celtics rolled into L.A. to play Kobe Bryant and the Lakers for the first times this season. Although it was at Staples Center, the Celtics crushed L.A. 110-91 on Sunday night. Both teams wore throwback uniforms and the Lakers took it a step higher by wearing the short shorts that players used to play in during the 1980s!

Cameron Fired

New Miami Dolphins GM Bill Parcells wasted no time in making changes. On Wednesday, Parcells fired Dolphins' head coach Cam Cameron after he coached the team to a dismal 1-15 record. The record was the worst in franchise history under the first year coach. It is unclear who Parcells will choose to replace him, but the rumor is he might tap into his old stomping grounds, the Dallas Cowboys, where he coached last. Cowboys' assistant Tony Sparano appears to be the early favorite.

Notes Around the Sports World

Chinese star Yi Jianlian of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kevin Durant of the Seattle Supersonics have been chosen as the NBA's top rookies for December 2007.

The Tennessee Titans win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday ended the Cleveland Browns' hopes of getting a wild card berth in the playoffs. Despite falling short, the Browns had an overachieving season finished an impressive 10-6.

Heading into the final week of voting for the NHL All Star Game, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadians defenseman Andrei Markov are the top vote getters.

This Week in Sports :: December 17-21, 2007

This Week in Sports :: December 10-14, 2007