--F Dirk Nowitzki fulfilled a dream of a lifetime by leading Germany back to the Olympics. Nowitzki scored 32 points in a 96-82 win over Puerto Rico in the third-place game of the FIBA qualifying tournament, clinching the final spot in the 12-team Beijing field.
Nowitzki broke down in tears after the win. "Just a lot of pressure coming off after so many years of trying," he said. "We didn't make it to Sydney and we didn't make it to Athens. Just a lot of emotions coming out after all this hard work we put in over the years with this group."
The win was bittersweet in one respect. J.J. Barea, Nowitzki's Dallas teammate and friend, was denied an Olympic berth with the loss. Barea did lead Puerto Rico with 18 points.
Germany is in Group B, along with Team USA, Spain, Greece, China and Angola.
--Mavs owner Mark Cuban is reportedly one of the five finalists still in the running to buy the Chicago Cubs. Cuban has acknowledged his interest in buying the storied franchise, but has otherwise commented little on the bidding process.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Tribune Co. rejected an offer from a large investment group led by John Canning Jr., who is a part owner in the Milwaukee Brewers and a friend of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig.
According to sources, Cuban made the cut but the other four finalists weren't revealed. It was also reported that all of the bids were at least $1 billion for the Cubs, Wrigley Field and the team's stake in Comcast SportsNet.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There are guys on this team that have been beaten, so they understand what it feels like to lose. They want to erase that, and we can use that as a positive. Everybody has to be hungry. It's not going to be easy because everybody is looking for us. Everybody wants to beat us still." -- Jason Kidd, on the Team USA's mind set going into the Olympics.
