1.   And he did it after three playoff rounds, capped by a Western finals rout of regular-season MVP David Robinson.

2.   For the last three seasons, the Western finals have produced the eventual cup champion, and that is very likely to be the case this season.

3.   Houston advances over Utah in six-game Western finals.

4.   If the Red Wings clinch the Western finals Monday night in Detroit with a victory over Colorado, the championship round will start Friday in Philadelphia.

5.   Jim Jackson had a loud argument with coach Mike Dunleavy in the locker room during the Western finals and is unhappy.

6.   Modano, the Dallas center, said as much last week, after the Stars ousted the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the Western finals.

7.   Sacramento has the Lakers down, two games to one, in the Western finals.

8.   That is why they will face Colorado in the Western finals while the Devils will meet Buffalo in the East.

9.   The addition of Bruce Bowen this season gives the Spurs a more capable defender against Bryant, who dominated in the Western finals last season.

10.   The Stars have shown they can win in Detroit this season and they gave the Wings a major challenge in the Western finals last spring.