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ANAHEIM – Teemu Selanne wanted to do something nice for Sami Vatanen. His fellow Finn, 21 years his junior, had just arrived in Anaheim and was hoping to stick with the Ducks. The way Selanne saw it, if Vatanen was going to make it in southern California, he needed to have his own wheels. So the future Hall of Famer, an avid car collector, decided to lend Vatanen, a smooth-skating defenceman, one of his. A Mercedes CLK to be precise. "I havent seen it in a year-and-a-half," Selanne said with a chuckle. "I dont know if I like that car actually," Vatanen said with a big smile, "but its free." Selanne and Saku Koivu, another Finnish veteran, have mentored Vatanen, Anaheims fourth round pick in 2009, over the last couple of years. Koivu and his wife Hanna, for example, helped Vatanen get his apartment set up. "You can tell that both of them have taken Sami under their wing," said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy. "Hes not even their little brother, hes sort of their son." Told of that statement, the 43-year-old Selanne doesnt miss a beat noting, "He could be." The groundwork laid by Selanne and Koivu paid dividends in the regular season as Vatanen was the third leading scorer among Ducks defencemen picking up 21 points in just 48 games. "Its a big thing," said Vatanen. "Ive been watching those guys for a while. It was fun to get a chance to play with them and its more fun even in the playoffs." Vatanen played in just nine of Anaheims final 32 regular-season games and started the playoffs in the minors with Norfolk in the American Hockey League. He was recalled in time for Game 3 of the series with the Los Angeles Kings making an immediate impact. Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau even went so far as to label the youngster the best player on the ice on either team on Thursday night. Vatanen didnt slow down in his second career NHL playoff game on Saturday night, picking up his first post-season point, an assist on Ryan Getzlafs power play goal. He was also on the ice for Devante Smith-Pellys goal earlier in the period. "Just some confidence on the back end," said Lovejoy when asked what Vatanen brings to the table. "Getting offence against the Kings is difficult and having another smart puck mover back there is only going to put our forwards in better position to create offence." It is the 5-foot-10, 183-pound Vatanens gutsy play, which impresses Selanne the most. "Hes a warrior out there," said Selanne. "Hes not the biggest guy out there, but he doesnt avoid the traffic. Hes putting himself in a situation where hes going to get hit and give hits. Its fun to watch when young guys and small guys can do that. And obviously the way he can see the game and pass. He can make a huge difference." Selanne is nearing the end of his decorated career and takes great pride in being able to help an up-and-coming Finnish player find his way. After all, it was Teppo Numminen who helped a young Selanne navigate some early-career growing pains in Winnipeg. "I remember how much he helped me and thats why I want to do my job as well. And its fun and you see how much they appreciate it and how life is easier when you have help here and there," Selanne said. "Thats what we have done for years. Its so much easier for a young guy when theres a countryman who wants to help and makes things easier and gets you settled down. Thats a very important part of our job." In a way, Selannes career has come full circle as he passes the torch to the next rising Finnish star on the Ducks. So, did Numminen lend Selanne a car back in the day? "Actually, I let him drive my car," Selanne said with a grin. Some things never change. Sebastian Rode Jersey . The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. 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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Mike White felt his team could have been more competitive against No. 7 Oklahoma State. Sure, the Louisiana Tech coach believes Oklahoma State is a "legitimate Final Four contender," but he likes his team as well. While the Bulldogs (8-3) were effective at slowing down All-America guard Marcus Smart, there was little they could do down the stretch to avoid a 70-55 loss to the high-powered Cowboys (9-1). LeBryan Nash scored 22 points as Oklahoma State overcame a sluggish start and pulled away after Louisiana Tech got within 49-42 with 8:44 remaining. "We missed the few open looks that we had and just couldnt cut into a lead, couldnt get it going offensively against a terrific team," White said. "I was proud of the way we defended and rebounded. We completed." With Louisiana Tech determined to slow down Smart, Nash grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored 15 of Oklahoma States 31 points in the first half. Nash made six of his first 11 shots to pick up the slack for Smart, who finished with 13 points. Smart was only 1-of-4 shooting in the first half, and he said he made a conscious effort to be more of an all-around player who created shots for his teammates. He added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Markel Brown had 13 points and Kamari Murphy added 10 for the Cowboys. "Im just trying to focus on making sure that I dont force a lot of things because I do have a talented group of guys around me that I really dont need to force things," Smart said. "They can create also, so I just kind of let them get in the flow of their game." Chris Anderson scored 14 points and Alex Hamilton added 12 points for Louisiana Tech, which held Oklahoma State scoreless over the first 4 minutes of the game. But the Bulldogs couldnt maintain the energy down the stretch. The Cowboys used their athleticism and multiple scoring options to turn a close game into a lopsided victory in the All-College Classic.dddddddddddd "I thought wed be more competitive to be honest, but I just think that we struggled so much from an offensive standpoint," White said. "(We) had a lot of droughts offensively, couldnt really get into a rhythm." Louisiana Tech trailed by only seven points with less than 9 minutes remaining, but Smart helped build Oklahoma States lead back to double digits. He put back a missed shot, then found Murphy for a dunk to put the Cowboys ahead 55-42 with 6:25 remaining. Oklahoma State hadnt played since a 79-52 rout of South Carolina on Dec. 6. The Cowboys struggled early to regain their rhythm and didnt score their first point until Brown hit a free throw with 15:41 remaining in the first half. Oklahoma State missed all five of its 3-point attempts and made only 7 of 13 free throws in the first half, allowing Louisiana Tech to hang around into the second half. "(We) didnt get off to a good start," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "We can contribute it to taking eight days off, finals week, different things, but we just didnt make good decisions offensively early in the game." Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, looked fresh playing its second game in four days and facing its highest ranked opponent since the two teams met in 1991. The Bulldogs relied on their defence to take a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes and hold the Cowboys to just 38.7 per cent shooting in the first half. But Nash and Smart created some fast-break opportunities, and Oklahoma State used a 10-2 run midway through the first half to take a lead it never relinquished. 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