You would think  Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal and three guys pulled out of office cubicles could manage to do better than the current version of the Miami Heat.

The Heat lost its 14th in a row yesterday, 97-90, to Cleveland at home, threatening a team record of 17 straight losses set in the franchise's expansion season. D-Wade scored a game-high 42, but obviously it wasn't enough. Cavaliers superstar LeBron James scored 28 and after the game sympathized with Wade's gallant effort. O'Neal, who is bothered by a hip injury, had 10 points.  For the season, the Heat -- just a season-and-a-half removed from having won the NBA championship -- is 8-32.

* The anticipated matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby and the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin did not materialize last night  with Crosby watching the game because of a high ankle sprain. Ovechkin held up his end, though, with two goals, an assist and a goal in the shootout period as the Caps won, 6-5. Although Crosby was out, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin answered fellow Russian Ovechkin with two goals and an assist as well.

* And Maria Sharapova beat the machine that is Justine Henin in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, ending Henin's consecutive match win streak at 32. Sharapova eliminated Henin surprisingly quickly, 6-4, 6-0, to advance to the semifinals. There will be no rematch of last year's Aussie finals, though, when Serena Williams beat Sharapova. Williams dropped her match to Jelena Jankovic, 6-3, 6-4.