Paul Pierce gave the Boston Celtics an unexpected victory in the most unlikely of places. The Celtics ended a 17-year drought in San Antonio -- fittingly on St. Patrick's Day. [source: Associated Press]

Jeff Burton didn't need any last-lap heroics this time. But he did need a little luck. The longtime NASCAR star made it two Busch Series victories in a row Saturday, easily holding off Richard Childress Racing teammate and reigning Busch champion Kevin Harvick to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. [source: Associated Press]

Kimi Raikkonen won in his first race for Ferrari, dominating the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday for his 10th Formula One victory. Raikkonen started from the pole and led for nearly the entire race to edge world champion Fernando Alonso, who was making his McLaren debut. [source: Associated Press]

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Is Kobe Bryant's play on the court being overly scrutinized by the NBA? Phil Jackson apparently thinks so. After Bryant was retroactively assessed a flagrant 1 foul for an elbow against the 76ers' Kyle Korver, Jackson came to the defense of his superstar guard. [source: ESPN]

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut apologized Tuesday for getting "caught up in the heat of the moment" and making an obscene gesture toward the home crowd while leaving the court. Bogut may face disciplinary action from the NBA for the outburst, which came near the end of Milwaukee's 108-93 loss to Toronto on Monday night. [source: Associated Press]

The NBA fined Charlotte Bobcats guard Brevin Knight $25,000 on Tuesday for verbal abuse of a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner. The incident occurred at the end of Charlotte's home loss to Memphis on Saturday, during which Knight was assessed a technical foul. [source: Associated Press]

Isiah Thomas got a multiyear contract extension nine months after he was warned the Knicks needed to show "evident progress" or he'd be out of a job. [source: Associated Press]

Joakim Noah was apparently so overcome with joy after the Gators won this year's SEC Championship that he felt compelled to do a jig on national television. I hope I don't have to see this ever again... Noah dance - YouTube. Frankly, it scares the bejesus out of me. [source: YouTube]

Suspended Gonzaga center Josh Heytvelt pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance and then asked to be placed in a diversion program that will clear his record if he stays clean for one year. [source: Associated Press]

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The Henderson/Hansbrough brouhaha: Tyler Hansbrough insisted Tuesday there's no bad blood between him and Duke's Gerald Henderson, who broke the North Carolina star forward's nose in the closing seconds of the latest clash between the Tobacco Road rivals. [source: USA Today]

Sacramento Kings give Artest a vacation: The Kings have excused Ron Artest indefinitely from any further participation with the team due to his arrest today for domestic violence. The Kings will continue to accumulate reliable and official facts and information over the next several days before taking any further action. [source: Mercury News]

George Karl takes annoyance with Melo public: Unhappy with the play and attitude of Carmelo Anthony, the coach has considered benching his star, according to a report in the Denver Post. [source: ESPN]

Montoya's Pruett punting: Juan Montoya took the lead with eight laps to go at the Telcel-Motorola 200 on Sunday and went on to Victory Lane for the first time in a NASCAR series, but the win was bittersweet as the rookie spun teammate Scott Pruett to claim the lead. [source: Nascar.com]

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