Marbury pays to see Knicks

Stephon Marbury might not be allowed to practice or play for the New York Knicks, but nothing in the NBA's rules prevents him from buying a ticket to watch his team.

Marbury, the Knicks' guard-in-exile, was on hand Tuesday at Staples Center to see the Knicks lose to the Lakers, 116-114. Marbury bought a ticket and was sitting courtside. It was a scene that drew grins and chuckles from the Knicks' players and head shakes from just about everyone else.

"It's no big deal," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "About 19,000 people will be here tonight, so if he wants to see a good game, that's great."

Marbury, who has a place in Hollywood and was in town looking after his business affairs, said he wasn't going to stay away Tuesday.

"Oh yeah, I miss this a lot," Marbury told Newsday. "This is the closest I'm going to get to the game right now."

Asked if he was prepared to sit out the entire season, Marbury said, "I'm getting healthy. This is going to save two or three years of my career. ... I didn't create this, so I don't regret a thing. This is all their doing."

Marbury, who has been given permission to seek interest from other teams, says he has been in touch with a few and isn't concerned about how his extended exile appears to other teams.

"Only thing I got to do is get free," he said. "The team that I'm going to go to, I think a lot of people will be shocked."

• PERFECT TOGETHER -- Brothers Ed and Tom Shircel have combined for 10 perfect games in their bowling careers, and now they've reached another milestone: rolling perfect games while bowling together.

Each rolled a 300 while bowling Monday at Lakeshore Lanes in Sheboygan, Wis., for the same team and in the same game.

Ed, 57, said it's tough to guess the odds of that happening. "Oh boy, to get two brothers on the same team, then do that? Maybe a one-in-a-million thing," he said.

Tom, 52, finished first with his 300, and Ed quickly followed. After the final pin fell, Ed realized the rest of the Al & Al's Brotherhood League bowlers had been watching the action. "I couldn't believe all the yelling," he said.

Tom said the pair rarely gets big scores together. On Monday, Tom had a 752 series, and Ed finished at 777 after tacking on six more strikes to start the second game.

• PACQUIAO'S PARTY -- Manny Pacquiao turned 30 Wednesday, and he threw a birthday bash in the Philippines that would have made Paris Hilton envious.

There were 1,500 invited guests, including his promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, his trainer, Freddie Roach, and former opponents David Diaz and Marco Antonio Barrera, who were in Pacquiao's hometown of General Santos City to celebrate.

Pacquiao received an early birthday present Dec. 6 when he demolished Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden. On Wednesday, the party was on, and Pacquiao probably never thought he had this many friends in high places. Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Alexander Yano were on hand to celebrate with Pacquiao.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL