1.   Armstrong might have suffered as he made his way up the final mountain, and his overall lead did slip a little.

2.   Barkley was clearly fatigued in the final minutes of that game as the Suns again let a fourth-quarter lead slip away.

3.   But for the third time on the homestand, they let a lead slip away.

4.   But none of that made any difference to American Lance Armstrong, whose overall lead slipped only slightly.

5.   Even though the Astros have seen their lead slip away in the NL Central, they appear in little danger of missing the playoffs.

6.   Even more frustrating, the Rockets let the lead slip away to end the third quarter as well, and with less resistance.

7.   For the fourth time in the last week, the Knicks let a fourth-quarter lead slip away.

8.   Greg Norman was not about to let a final-round lead slip away for the second Sunday in a row.

9.   Instead, the Celtics let countless leads slip away and almost lost the game in the closing seconds.

10.   It was having seen his lead slip away and refusing to let it slip away for good.