Questions and Answer

Blazers and Sixers come to town

It's a battle of on-court nicknames this week in Miami.

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More About

• Paul Leone
• NASCAR
• Jason Williams
• NASCAR Racing
• Motorsports

FRI 11/18 With nicknames like ¨Flash¨ (Dwyane Wade), ¨The Diesel¨ (Shaquille O´Neal), ¨White Chocolate¨ (Jason Williams), and ¨The Glove¨ (Gary Payton), this year´s Heat team sounds more like a collection of comic-book heroes than basketball players. But with a sprained ankle sidelining the Big Fella for most of this year´s start, the heroics have been somewhat limited. To make matters worse, one of the league´s most accomplished villains saunters in to the American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) this Friday as Allen Iverson (known by many as ¨The Answer¨) brings the 76ers to town. Though the Sixers haven´t quite been the Legion of Doom this year, the dangerous A.I. has been as spectacular as ever, averaging nearly 30 points per game. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to jump-start their season. Only half of their bad-boy image is still intact, as the team is now just bad — and not in the cool, Michael Jackson kind of way. Their star Darius Miles will have to start playing better than he acted in the movie Van Wilder if the team has any hopes of making it into the postseason. They´ll blaze a cross-country trail to sunny South Florida on Wednesday, November 23. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $10. Call 1-800-4NBA-TIX. — Paul A. Leone

NASCAR Races In

Ford Racefest comes to Riverfront

THU 11/17 There was a time that NASCAR could be enjoyed properly only by rednecks. While they´re still the sport´s core audience, they´ve been joined by a cornucopia of fans, aren´t intoxicated off homemade whiskey. This year´s Nextel Cup Series wraps up on Sunday at Homestead Miami Speedway, but you can join the fever at Las Olas Riverfront (Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale) this Thursday, when Ford Racefestkicks off at noon. The free race-themed festival features autograph sessions with drivers Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, and Greg Biffle; NASCAR show cars; interactive displays; official NASCAR souvenirs; and a live performance by Seven Mary Three. Call 305-230-RACE. — Paul A. Leone