Jason Kidd's advice to new Dallas Mavericks teammates: Be ready.

NEW ORLEANS - Jason Kidd delivered an early message to his new Dallas Mavericks teammates: Be ready for his passes, whether they think they're covered or not.
"I've always felt my teammates are always open." Kidd said. "When you think it's not coming, then that's when it is."
Kidd was speaking ahead of his Mavericks debut against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night, so invigorated by the prospect of playing for a contender again that he dismissed concerns of travel fatigue or his immediate insertion into the starting lineup of a team he's practised with twice.
"It's exciting. It's new. It's different and you don't have time to rest in the West because if you lose a game you can drop a couple spots," Kidd said after a shootaround on Wednesday morning at the New Orleans Arena.
Kidd left all-star weekend here as a member of the Nets on Sunday night. He got to bed in New Jersey by 4 a.m. Monday morning, headed to Dallas and officially became a Maverick on Tuesday, then travelled back to New Orleans for his first game with his new team.
Coach Avery Johnson said he expected Kidd, a master of the fast break, to hit the ground running, so to speak.
"There's no waiting. There's no period of him learning. He's going to jump right in there," Johnson said. "We know what we're going to do and we'll see how it works."
Kidd was just relieved his on-again, off-again trade situation was finally resolved.
"I don't know if I could do another 48 hours of not knowing," Kidd said. "I'm just happy it's over and we can move forward."
Kidd came to Dallas in an eight-player deal that became a subplot to all-star weekend, when it was still being hammered out.
The trade moves point-guard Devin Harris, centre DeSagana Diop, swingman Maurice Ager, forward Trenton Hassell and retired forward Keith Van Horn to New Jersey. The Nets also got two first-round draft picks and US$3 million, while Dallas got forward Malik Allen and guard Antoine Wright.
Kidd was drafted by the Mavericks 14 years ago. Since then, Dallas' ownership, uniforms, arena, and ability to contend for a title all have changed.
"It's not the old Mavs," Kidd said.
In giving up Harris, Dallas and its fast-break offence lost one of the quicker young point-guards in the league. Johnson said Kidd's court savvy is expected to compensate for that and more.
"We hope to get the ball in position better with the pass than maybe we did with speed," Johnson said. "We hope more guys will run with (Kidd) and are excited about running because they know they're going to get the ball."
Kidd said he expects to "tone down" some of his higher-risk passing until his new teammates get used to him and won't allow himself to be discouraged if the adjustment doesn't go as quickly as he would like.
"You can't get frustrated. There's too much basketball to be played," Kidd said. "The biggest thing, I think, about this team is just communicating. As much as I can pass, I think it could become contagious where everybody else is passing too."
Johnson, however, did not dismiss the small margin for error in the West, where competition for any of the top eight playoff seeds is fierce this season.
"It is a big concern. We don't have a training camp and an offseason," Johnson said. "There's 29 games left, but I don't want the guys to be so anxious an

Pompey hero David James celebrates their late winnerDarren Carter's late own goal ensured Portsmouth undeservedly progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
In the dying seconds, Carter tried to clear a corner but struck the ball into the back of his own net instead.
Portsmouth had David James to thank for their lucky escape as the goalkeeper saved a second-half penalty from the impressive Simon Whaley.
And minutes later he acrobatically stopped Neil Mellor's 25-yard effort from curling into the top corner.

Rocket man returnsNewman wins 500 for PenskeRyan Newman snapped an 81-race winless streak Sunday, using a huge push from teammate Kurt Busch to give car owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory.
Penske, the most successful owner in open wheel history with 14 wins in the prestigious Indianapolis 500, now has a victory in NASCAR's showcase event.
It only took him 23 years to get it.
It came in the historic 50th running of The Great American Race, and it came in thrilling fashion.
The Penske cars were quiet for 199 of the 200 laps, letting Joe Gibbs Racing stars Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch race each other in a battle of Toyotas. With one lap to go, it appeared Stewart finally would get a Daytona 500 win in his 10th try.

Phil Mickelson carded a final round of 1-under-par 70 to win the Northern Trust Open by two strokes over Jeff Quinney.
Mickelson was up by two strokes at the seventh hole, but Jeff Quinney's hot putter cut the lead to one with birdie at the eight hole. Quinney found himself in the lead at the turn after a two shot swing at the ninth hole. Mickelson responded on the next hole with a birdie, which tied both players at 13-under-par. The match continued tied until the 13th hole when Quinney's putter cooled down and he suffered three bogeys in a row. Mickelson was up by two strokes after the 15th and went ahead by three strokes when Quinney bogeyed the 17th hole. Phil played it safe on the final hole and tapped in a par-putt for a two stroke victory. The win is Mickelson's first at Riviera and it is his 16th career win on the West Coast. It also is his 33rd PGA Tour career win, which now puts him up to 13th on the All-Time career list. His next event will start on Wednesday at WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Phil Mickelson carded a third round 1-under-par 70 to lead by one stroke at the Northern Trust Open.
Mickelson fired a 64 in his second round, but he struggled in his third round with only three birdies and two bogeys on the card. Unlike last year, where Phil held a one stroke lead after the third round with the field fairly close to the leaders, this year he and Jeff Quinney have separated themselves from the field by five strokes. So tomorrow's final pairing will have a match play feel to it as both men try for their first wins at the historic Riviera course.