1.   They won without point guard Cameron Murray, who played only two minutes before departing with back spasms.

2.   Among some athletes and others, there is the belief that the problem is epidemic and that it is becoming increasingly difficult to win without cheating.

3.   And if Bush hopes to rebound, he sooner or later must show that he has the ability to win without being propped up by local bosses.

4.   And Bush, sooner or later, will have to show he can win decisively without being propped up by local bosses.

5.   And if the Rangers have done anything this season, they have proved that they are incapable of winning without lights-out goaltending.

6.   And that gives the Mariners a different look, a little swagger that was missing even as they won without their usual cleanup hitter.

7.   And they are winning without Teemu Selanne and Tomas Sandstrom.

8.   And while Hill said he wished Houston had stayed, the Pistons have not stopped winning without him.

9.   And, almost unbelievably, they won without ever having a drive of more than seven plays.

10.   And, as pyrotechnical as Zidane was, France simply would not have won without the athleticism of David Trezeguet.