BASKETBALL

NBA: VAN GUNDY CASE ‘CLOSED’

Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy clarified comments about an official telling him Rockets center Yao Ming was being targeted by referees in the first round of the playoffs, and the NBA now considers the matter closed.

“When I referred to an NBA official, people inferred that I was talking about a working NBA referee, instead of an official with the league,” Van Gundy said yesterday in a statement released by the Rockets. “I was purposely vague because I had given my word that I would keep his name out of it.”

The league fined Van Gundy $100,000 – the largest assessed against a coach – after saying that an official who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston’s first-round opponent.

“He has also confirmed directly to an NBA representative that, during the Houston-Dallas playoff series, he did not have any communication with a referee [working or nonworking] other than, of course, during an ongoing game,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said in a statement yesterday. “In light of these circumstances, we now consider the matter to be closed.”

D’ANTONI TO BE NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

After leading the Phoenix Suns to a 33-win turnaround from last season and a league-best 62 wins, Mike D’Antoni is the NBA’s coach of the year, a league source said yesterday. The selection is to be announced at a news conference today, two days after Suns point guard Steve Nash was named the league’s MVP.

D’Antoni spent 20 years in Italy as a star point guard, then a highly successful coach. After a couple of unsuccessful stints in the NBA, he became an assistant to Suns coach Frank Johnson in 2002. D’Antoni took over the following season, and the young team finished 20-41. The seeds of this year’s turnaround were sown when Phoenix traded Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway to the Knicks.

BASEBALL

RICKEY HENDERSON JOINS NEW INDEPENDENT LEAGUE

Rickey Henderson, baseball’s career leader in runs and stolen bases, will play in the new independent Golden Baseball League this season, agreeing yesterday to join the San Diego Surf Dawgs. The 46-year-old Henderson started the last two years with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. He finished 2003 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in 30 games.

The Golden Baseball League is in its first season and will play games in California and Arizona. There are eight teams in the GBL, including a club made up of Japanese players that will travel to all 90 of its games this season.

TENNIS

FEDERER WINS IN RETURN, RODDICK UPSET

Top-ranked Roger Federer won his first match after a three-week injury layoff while Andy Roddick lost in the opening round of the Hamburg Masters and Rafael Nadal withdrew because of a cut hand. Federer, recovering from an inflammation to both feet, defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-3 in this $2.7 million clay-court tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 23.

Roddick, seeded second, was beaten by Chile’s Nicolas Massu 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-5. Enjoying first-round victories were Gustavo Kuerten, the 2000 Hamburg winner and three-time French Open champion, and fifth-seeded Tim Henman.

HOCKEY

AMERICANS HELD TO TIE BY UKRAINE

Zach Parise was stopped on a penalty shot with 1:25 left, but the United States clinched a spot in the quarterfinals of the world hockey championships by tying last-place Ukraine 1-1 yesterday.

The Americans trailed 1-0 until defenseman Brett Hauer scored a power-play goal 2:45 into the third period. They couldn’t grab the lead despite holding a 39-9 shots advantage.

The Americans will have to wait until today’s play is completed to find out who they will face Thursday in the quarterfinals. They lead Group F with six points, but Canada and Sweden each have one second-round game remaining.

In Group E, Russia beat Kazakhstan 3-1 to remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament.

FOOTBALL

GIANTS ACQUIRE QB TIM HASSELBECK

The Giants were awarded the rights to former Washington Redskins quarterback Tim Hasselbeck yesterday after he cleared waivers. Veteran Jim Miller was expected to back up Manning this season, but his status for the season is uncertain because of a recent hip surgery. Jesse Palmer, free agent Jared Lorenzen, and Hasselbeck will compete for the no. 2 spot while Miller recuperates. Hasselbeck spent the last two seasons with Washington, starting five games in 2003.

– Associated Press