BOSTON—It is instructive to have a look at the three most recent games played in the Eastern Conference. On Thursday in New York, the Heat drubbed the Knicks into submission, 87-70. Then, here on Friday at TD Garden, the Celtics needed overtime to survive the Hawks’ sausage grinder, emerging with a 90-84 win. And down in Philadelphia, the Sixers stunned the Derrick Rose-less Bulls by rallying for a 79-74 win.
Add it up: That means an average of 80.7 points per game. Combined, the six teams in this three-game Eastern Conference extravaganza shot 38.0 percent from the field. The teams turned the ball over 16.3 times per game. If the networks that beamed these games out to an unsuspecting national audience got calls from viewers complaining of head pain or nausea, well, that’s no surprise.
“It’s not beautiful,” Celtics guard Mickael Pietrus said. “I have been watching the games. It’s not beautiful. At the end of the day, we are winning games. That’s what it takes to win games, some toughness. In the playoffs, you’re not going to score big. Everybody is going to come out with their best defense, their best game plan. Be tough.”
That might be the key to getting through in the East, where the best team in the regular season, the Bulls, suffered another debilitating injury on Friday when center Joakim Noah was taken out of the loss with an ankle injury and left the arena on crutches. That's fitting with the way things have generally gone in the East, because the Celtics had their Game 3 win aided by the knee injury to Hawks star forward Josh Smith, who sat out. Atlanta was already going without center Zaza Pachulia, and, of course, All-Star big man Al Horford has been out most of the year.
And against the Knicks on Thursday, the Heat were helped along by the absence of Amare Stoudemire, who had his hand sewn up after he punched a fire extinguisher following New York’s Game 2 loss. Point guard Jeremy Lin and his balky knee were not ready either, and guard Iman Shumpert tore the ACL and meniscus in his knee in the third quarter of Game 1.
That’s before you get to Orlando, which lost star center Dwight Howard to back surgery in April and is stumbling through its first-round series with the Pacers without him.
Hey, it’s the playoffs. Heck with the aesthetics. “It wasn’t pretty,” Celtics star Paul Pierce, who shot 3-for-12 in Game 3, said. “But who said it has to be pretty? At the end of the day, we have to win four games and we’ve won two.”
Celtics guard Ray Allen said he could not recall a rash of major injuries to important players in the postseason before. Hawks guard Tracy McGrady agreed. “It’s definitely something that is a problem,” McGrady said. “It makes things harder for everybody. There are no excuses, but it is something that is all over the league right now.”
Increasingly, what we’re seeing in the Eastern Conference playoffs is more a war of attrition than basketball. The Heat were probably the favorites coming into the postseason, and with the way things have played out—the Celtics added an injury concern on Friday, with Avery Bradley hurting his shoulder—Miami’s health has only ramped up its status as the team to beat. Given the fact that the Heat are probably the team best equipped to make up for a major injury (except, maybe, to LeBron James), the Heat will likely hold that mantle even if they’re struck by the East’s injury bug.
The commissioner’s office has been staunch in saying that there has not been an increase in injuries this year, even with the condensed schedule. But it certainly feels as though there has been. Consider that, if the teams currently leading their series hold on, we would have an Eastern Conference second round of Boston vs. Philadelphia, Miami vs. Indiana. That wasn’t something that appeared to be in the cards when the season kicked off in December.
In the meantime, we’ve seen some ugly basketball. Unless you’re on the happy side of that attrition war. “At the end of the day, if you won, you will go home with that smile on your face,” Pietrus said. “That’s nice.”
5.05.2012
Jennings' agent surprised PG isn't immediate priority for Bucks
BOSTON — After a year in which he averaged 19.1 points and 5.5 assists, third-year point guard Brandon Jennings might seem to be a pretty good candidate for a contract extension in Milwaukee—he is eligible for one this offseason.
But, according to Racine Journal-Times reporter Gery Woelfel, the team is not going to be in a hurry to lock up Jennings. On his Twitter feed, Woelfel quoted Bucks general manager John Hammond saying of a
Jennings extension, “It’s not something we have to do.”
Jennings, on Twitter, retweeted the quote and added, “At least they made it clear.... I respect it!!!!”
Sporting News was able to catch up with Jennings’ agent, Bill Duffy, at the Celtics-Hawks playoff game here at TD Garden. Duffy said he had heard about Hammond’s comment. “I was surprised by it,” he said. “But
I was mostly surprised because it was not something that we have sat down and talked about.”
Duffy said it was likely that those discussions would start in the coming week.
If the Bucks opt not to give Jennings a long-term deal this offseason, he would be slated to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2013. Hammond is right in that, even if the Bucks don’t sign Jennings
right away, they will maintain his rights and can match any offer other teams can make.
There is some risk to that, though, depending on how this year’s free-agent market plays out. Nets point guard Deron Williams will be a free agent, and the Nets and Mavericks are expected to make a push for
him. Suns point guard Steve Nash, too, will be a free agent. By the time this summer ends, there could be several teams—the Suns, Nets, Mavericks, Raptors, Hornets, Kings, Jazz—with cap space and a need for
a point guard.
That could make the upcoming season important for Jennings. “Welp.... This will be one of my biggest years coming up!!! Then the Summer should be interesting!!!” the Bucks point guard posted to his Twitter account.
But, according to Racine Journal-Times reporter Gery Woelfel, the team is not going to be in a hurry to lock up Jennings. On his Twitter feed, Woelfel quoted Bucks general manager John Hammond saying of a
Jennings extension, “It’s not something we have to do.”
Jennings, on Twitter, retweeted the quote and added, “At least they made it clear.... I respect it!!!!”
Sporting News was able to catch up with Jennings’ agent, Bill Duffy, at the Celtics-Hawks playoff game here at TD Garden. Duffy said he had heard about Hammond’s comment. “I was surprised by it,” he said. “But
I was mostly surprised because it was not something that we have sat down and talked about.”
Duffy said it was likely that those discussions would start in the coming week.
If the Bucks opt not to give Jennings a long-term deal this offseason, he would be slated to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2013. Hammond is right in that, even if the Bucks don’t sign Jennings
right away, they will maintain his rights and can match any offer other teams can make.
There is some risk to that, though, depending on how this year’s free-agent market plays out. Nets point guard Deron Williams will be a free agent, and the Nets and Mavericks are expected to make a push for
him. Suns point guard Steve Nash, too, will be a free agent. By the time this summer ends, there could be several teams—the Suns, Nets, Mavericks, Raptors, Hornets, Kings, Jazz—with cap space and a need for
a point guard.
That could make the upcoming season important for Jennings. “Welp.... This will be one of my biggest years coming up!!! Then the Summer should be interesting!!!” the Bucks point guard posted to his Twitter account.
Rondo leads reinforced Celtics lineup past Hawks for Game 3 win
BOSTON – Given the stack of injuries on his side of the ledger—star forward Josh Smith (knee) joined center Zaza Pachulia (foot) and Al Horford (pectoral) on the no-go list for Atlanta—coach Larry Drew said
that, coming in, his goal was to have his team keep Game 3 here at TD Garden close and hope that the Hawks could steal the win late.
They did, in fact, keep it close, trailing by a 60-58 count entering the fourth quarter. The Celtics looked ready to run away with it at the end, though, and built an 11-point lead that was holding at eight points with 4:02 to go—until an 8-0 run from Atlanta tied the game at 80-80 in the final seconds. When the Hawks were able to get a final-possession miss out of Paul Pierce to send the game into overtime, Drew had to be very happy with what his team had done.
There would be no stealing the win, though, as the Celtics were able to lean on a lineup reinforced by the return of Ray Allen (ankle injury) and Rajon Rondo (suspension) to pull out a 90-84 win in overtime. That puts the Celtics up, 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 coming on Sunday in Boston.
“You can look what our situation is from an injury standpoint,” Drew said. “The last thing I’ll do as a coach is use it as an excuse. I thought we were depleted but yet we were still in a position where we could have won the game. If I’m going to take anything positive from this certainly I’m very proud of our guys. … We’ve been a team that has had adversity throughout the season like everybody else and it says a lot about your team when they can step up in the playoffs short-handed and still put themselves in a position to win the game. We certainly had our opportunity. We just fell short.”
In what was a grinding game, getting Rondo back proved to be a big boost. Rondo racked up a triple-double, scoring 17 points with 12 assists and 14 rebounds on the night. He did shoot 7-for-22 on the night, with six turnovers, but in a game in which the Celtics shot just 40.5 percent (the Hawks shot 37.8 percent), those kinds of numbers were not a surprise. The Celtics were led by Paul Pierce, who had 21 points on 3-for-12 shooting, but was 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.
“I felt good about all the shots that I took, I took a lot,” Rondo said. “My teammates told me to stay aggressive. I missed a lot of easy layups, but the jump shots I usually try to take at the mid-range game. I accomplished them, I took them, but I missed them. There’s going to be nights like tonight where I miss a lot of shots, but I try to continue to fight through, continue to grind.”
It was star guard Joe Johnson who kept the shorthanded Hawks alive throughout. Johnson scored 29 points, but missed a key 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds to go that pretty much sealed Atlanta’s fate. Guard Jeff
Teague (23 points, six assists) sliced up the Celtics defense for much of the night, and elder statesman Tracy McGrady (12 points, nine rebounds) was able to pitch in, too.
From the beginning, there was no overstating the ugliness of the game. In the first quarter, the two teams shot a combined 30.4 percent from the floor and committed nine turnovers, which was in keeping with the overall tenor of the series. Boston shot 40.7 percent from the field and scored an average of 80.5 points in the first two games, just a little better than the 37.7 percent shooting from the Hawks. Atlanta was scoring 81.5 points per game in the first two. The Celtics held a 40-38 lead at halftime, with the sides shooting a combined 37.0 percent with 17 turnovers.
The Hawks are hopeful that Smith can play on Sunday. Coming as close as they did on Friday, they still feel they can emerge from Boston with a split and a tied series.
“We feel like our chances are just as good as theirs in the series,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, we have three key bigs who are unable to play right now. So that is a minor setback but neither here nor there we still had a great chance to come out and win this game tonight. And it’s always a tale of two halves, it seems as if they’ve beat us in the fourth quarter in the past couple games.”
that, coming in, his goal was to have his team keep Game 3 here at TD Garden close and hope that the Hawks could steal the win late.
They did, in fact, keep it close, trailing by a 60-58 count entering the fourth quarter. The Celtics looked ready to run away with it at the end, though, and built an 11-point lead that was holding at eight points with 4:02 to go—until an 8-0 run from Atlanta tied the game at 80-80 in the final seconds. When the Hawks were able to get a final-possession miss out of Paul Pierce to send the game into overtime, Drew had to be very happy with what his team had done.
There would be no stealing the win, though, as the Celtics were able to lean on a lineup reinforced by the return of Ray Allen (ankle injury) and Rajon Rondo (suspension) to pull out a 90-84 win in overtime. That puts the Celtics up, 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 coming on Sunday in Boston.
“You can look what our situation is from an injury standpoint,” Drew said. “The last thing I’ll do as a coach is use it as an excuse. I thought we were depleted but yet we were still in a position where we could have won the game. If I’m going to take anything positive from this certainly I’m very proud of our guys. … We’ve been a team that has had adversity throughout the season like everybody else and it says a lot about your team when they can step up in the playoffs short-handed and still put themselves in a position to win the game. We certainly had our opportunity. We just fell short.”
In what was a grinding game, getting Rondo back proved to be a big boost. Rondo racked up a triple-double, scoring 17 points with 12 assists and 14 rebounds on the night. He did shoot 7-for-22 on the night, with six turnovers, but in a game in which the Celtics shot just 40.5 percent (the Hawks shot 37.8 percent), those kinds of numbers were not a surprise. The Celtics were led by Paul Pierce, who had 21 points on 3-for-12 shooting, but was 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.
“I felt good about all the shots that I took, I took a lot,” Rondo said. “My teammates told me to stay aggressive. I missed a lot of easy layups, but the jump shots I usually try to take at the mid-range game. I accomplished them, I took them, but I missed them. There’s going to be nights like tonight where I miss a lot of shots, but I try to continue to fight through, continue to grind.”
It was star guard Joe Johnson who kept the shorthanded Hawks alive throughout. Johnson scored 29 points, but missed a key 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds to go that pretty much sealed Atlanta’s fate. Guard Jeff
Teague (23 points, six assists) sliced up the Celtics defense for much of the night, and elder statesman Tracy McGrady (12 points, nine rebounds) was able to pitch in, too.
From the beginning, there was no overstating the ugliness of the game. In the first quarter, the two teams shot a combined 30.4 percent from the floor and committed nine turnovers, which was in keeping with the overall tenor of the series. Boston shot 40.7 percent from the field and scored an average of 80.5 points in the first two games, just a little better than the 37.7 percent shooting from the Hawks. Atlanta was scoring 81.5 points per game in the first two. The Celtics held a 40-38 lead at halftime, with the sides shooting a combined 37.0 percent with 17 turnovers.
The Hawks are hopeful that Smith can play on Sunday. Coming as close as they did on Friday, they still feel they can emerge from Boston with a split and a tied series.
“We feel like our chances are just as good as theirs in the series,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, we have three key bigs who are unable to play right now. So that is a minor setback but neither here nor there we still had a great chance to come out and win this game tonight. And it’s always a tale of two halves, it seems as if they’ve beat us in the fourth quarter in the past couple games.”
5.03.2012
Magic get glimpse of life without Dwight, and it's not pretty
ORLANDO—Dwight Howard irritated a lot of people this season. So it’s a little painful to admit it that underneath the waffling and doublespeak, the guy had a point.
The Magic really are nothing without him.
Indiana beat the Orlando 97-74 Wednesday night, and you could almost hear the ghost of Dwight hovering above the Amway Center floor whispering, “I told you so.”
Not that Howard or his ghost would be so petty. Then again, whoever thought the NBA’s happiest superstar would be turn into the league’s premiere drama king?
Most of Howard’s free-agent twisting and turning was based on his contention that the Magic needed to surround him with better talent. It would have been asking a lot for that talent to shove that gripe back in Howard’s face.
But couldn’t the leftovers at least not lose by 23 points on their home floor?
Give Orlando credit for winning Game 1 in Indianapolis, though it’s apparent that was far more a case of the Pacers losing it. Orlando’s strategy was to get Indiana so overconfident its players would leave midway through the fourth quarter.
“We all we got!” the Magic kept saying.
They scored the final 11 points to steal the win. All that did was get the Pacers’ attention. Now they lead the series 2-1, though it might as well be 200-1.
“We were awful," coach Stan Van Gundy said afterwards. "Everybody was awful. There are team wins and team losses. This was a team loss.”
Orlando’s season is over, though you could say it really ended April 20 when Howard underwent surgery for a herniated disc. Or you could say it never really got going due to all the uncertainty Howard spawned.
Like a lot of Magic fans, he was missing Wednesday night. Howard is rehabbing in Los Angeles, where the surgery was performed. That at least spares Otis Smith the angst of watching his meal ticket standing around helplessly.
Instead, Smith spent Wednesday night in his usual chair. It’s a riser located in a walkway. It’s sort of out of the way, though not nearly far enough away to please Magic fans.
They looked on the court and saw Smith’s handiwork. Guys like Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu, who are five years past their prime. Ryan Anderson was a nice find, but he’s turned back into Ryan Anderson now that teams don’t have to worry about Howard.
Big Baby Davis has his moments, though they still interrupted by fits of immaturity. Jameer Nelson is about as average a point guard as you’ll ever want to cheer for.
When asked what the problems are, Anderson chose to focus on the next game.
“It’s a little bit of everything. There is no one answer. The great thing about it is we have another game.”
All the individual parts don’t add up to a greater whole, especially when their minds are farther away than Howard’s body. As much as Stan Van Gundy likes not having to deal with the Dwight Drama anymore, it must kill him to watch what’s going on.
The Heat could lose Dwyane Wade or LeBron James and still be title contenders. The Lakers would be dangerous without Kobe Bryant. The Bulls are still respectable without Derrick Rose. If Kevin Durant went down, the Thunder would always have Russell Westbrook.
Solid franchises can survive the loss of one player. The Magic lost Howard, and they’ve turned into the Washington Generals.
They are all they’ve got. And as Howard pointed out, that’s not nearly enough.
The Magic really are nothing without him.
Indiana beat the Orlando 97-74 Wednesday night, and you could almost hear the ghost of Dwight hovering above the Amway Center floor whispering, “I told you so.”
Not that Howard or his ghost would be so petty. Then again, whoever thought the NBA’s happiest superstar would be turn into the league’s premiere drama king?
Most of Howard’s free-agent twisting and turning was based on his contention that the Magic needed to surround him with better talent. It would have been asking a lot for that talent to shove that gripe back in Howard’s face.
But couldn’t the leftovers at least not lose by 23 points on their home floor?
Give Orlando credit for winning Game 1 in Indianapolis, though it’s apparent that was far more a case of the Pacers losing it. Orlando’s strategy was to get Indiana so overconfident its players would leave midway through the fourth quarter.
“We all we got!” the Magic kept saying.
They scored the final 11 points to steal the win. All that did was get the Pacers’ attention. Now they lead the series 2-1, though it might as well be 200-1.
“We were awful," coach Stan Van Gundy said afterwards. "Everybody was awful. There are team wins and team losses. This was a team loss.”
Orlando’s season is over, though you could say it really ended April 20 when Howard underwent surgery for a herniated disc. Or you could say it never really got going due to all the uncertainty Howard spawned.
Like a lot of Magic fans, he was missing Wednesday night. Howard is rehabbing in Los Angeles, where the surgery was performed. That at least spares Otis Smith the angst of watching his meal ticket standing around helplessly.
Instead, Smith spent Wednesday night in his usual chair. It’s a riser located in a walkway. It’s sort of out of the way, though not nearly far enough away to please Magic fans.
They looked on the court and saw Smith’s handiwork. Guys like Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu, who are five years past their prime. Ryan Anderson was a nice find, but he’s turned back into Ryan Anderson now that teams don’t have to worry about Howard.
Big Baby Davis has his moments, though they still interrupted by fits of immaturity. Jameer Nelson is about as average a point guard as you’ll ever want to cheer for.
When asked what the problems are, Anderson chose to focus on the next game.
“It’s a little bit of everything. There is no one answer. The great thing about it is we have another game.”
All the individual parts don’t add up to a greater whole, especially when their minds are farther away than Howard’s body. As much as Stan Van Gundy likes not having to deal with the Dwight Drama anymore, it must kill him to watch what’s going on.
The Heat could lose Dwyane Wade or LeBron James and still be title contenders. The Lakers would be dangerous without Kobe Bryant. The Bulls are still respectable without Derrick Rose. If Kevin Durant went down, the Thunder would always have Russell Westbrook.
Solid franchises can survive the loss of one player. The Magic lost Howard, and they’ve turned into the Washington Generals.
They are all they’ve got. And as Howard pointed out, that’s not nearly enough.
Carlisle’s complaints of Thunder’s 'dirty' play raises red flags in Dallas
Paul Silas, who spent 16 years in the NBA as an undersized, no-nonsense power forward, reflected recently on the state of the league and some teams’ penchant to complain about the harsh treatment referees seem to allow. “You know what NBA stood for when I played?,” said Silas, most recently head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. “No Babies Allowed. There wasn’t any whining in those days. ”
Of course, at this time of year, whining is lifted to an art form. While no one is suggesting the game should return to the old days of bench-clearing brawls, career-threatening haymakers or Jeff Van Gundy clutching Alonzo Mourning’s leg, we have already seen enough postseason complaints to make one stop and ask, “Wait, didn’t Phil Jackson retire?”
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl complained about Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum not being whistled for defensive three seconds. Atlanta Hawks center Ivan Johnson called the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett “dirty.” And that fits what we’ve heard for much of the year, when star players like the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, the L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard complained about the hard contact referees were allowing. Of Karl’s complaints, Lakers coach Mike Brown said, “Coach Karl is just doing his job,” indicating that playoff whining—the goal being to alert referees to your cause—is an accepted practice among coaches.
In no city, though, do playoff complaints raise a bigger red flag than in Dallas, where for many years the team toiled under the stigma of softness, especially under offensive-minded coach Don Nelson, in the days when the Mavs had no center (or, worse, Erick Dampier). Last season, it looked like the Mavs had shed that label, showing an impressive fortitude in powering through the Western Conference, then toppling the favored Miami Heat in the Finals by winning the last three games of the series after falling behind, 2-1. But in the offseason, they lost three of the guys most responsible for upping their toughness quotient—guard DeShawn Stevenson, assistant coach Dwane Casey and, especially, center Tyson Chandler.
And so the words of coach Rick Carlisle in the wake of Dallas’ Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder have to be taken with some concern. Carlisle was not absolving his team—he made clear that, in two tight losses to the Thunder, his guys “did not make enough plays”—but he also said, “I love hard-played, clean, competitive playoff series, and you throw the ball up and may the best team win. But the dirty bull---‘s gotta stop. We don’t want anybody getting hurt out there either way.”
That seems a bit excessive. Both games in the Mavs-Thunder series have been close, and certainly tension has built, Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki has been roughed up, and he has taken particular exception the physicality of Thunder center and strongman Kendrick Perkins. The two scuffled early in Game 2 when Perkins shoved Nowitzki in the back. Both were given technical fouls. But the Perkins shove followed Nowitzki being knocked in the face by Serge Ibaka and then giving Ibaka a push in the back as the two ran up court
Of course, at this time of year, whining is lifted to an art form. While no one is suggesting the game should return to the old days of bench-clearing brawls, career-threatening haymakers or Jeff Van Gundy clutching Alonzo Mourning’s leg, we have already seen enough postseason complaints to make one stop and ask, “Wait, didn’t Phil Jackson retire?”
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl complained about Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum not being whistled for defensive three seconds. Atlanta Hawks center Ivan Johnson called the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett “dirty.” And that fits what we’ve heard for much of the year, when star players like the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, the L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard complained about the hard contact referees were allowing. Of Karl’s complaints, Lakers coach Mike Brown said, “Coach Karl is just doing his job,” indicating that playoff whining—the goal being to alert referees to your cause—is an accepted practice among coaches.
In no city, though, do playoff complaints raise a bigger red flag than in Dallas, where for many years the team toiled under the stigma of softness, especially under offensive-minded coach Don Nelson, in the days when the Mavs had no center (or, worse, Erick Dampier). Last season, it looked like the Mavs had shed that label, showing an impressive fortitude in powering through the Western Conference, then toppling the favored Miami Heat in the Finals by winning the last three games of the series after falling behind, 2-1. But in the offseason, they lost three of the guys most responsible for upping their toughness quotient—guard DeShawn Stevenson, assistant coach Dwane Casey and, especially, center Tyson Chandler.
And so the words of coach Rick Carlisle in the wake of Dallas’ Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder have to be taken with some concern. Carlisle was not absolving his team—he made clear that, in two tight losses to the Thunder, his guys “did not make enough plays”—but he also said, “I love hard-played, clean, competitive playoff series, and you throw the ball up and may the best team win. But the dirty bull---‘s gotta stop. We don’t want anybody getting hurt out there either way.”
That seems a bit excessive. Both games in the Mavs-Thunder series have been close, and certainly tension has built, Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki has been roughed up, and he has taken particular exception the physicality of Thunder center and strongman Kendrick Perkins. The two scuffled early in Game 2 when Perkins shoved Nowitzki in the back. Both were given technical fouls. But the Perkins shove followed Nowitzki being knocked in the face by Serge Ibaka and then giving Ibaka a push in the back as the two ran up court
Pray for a Celtics-Lakers final while you can still get it
Paul Pierce didn’t plan to Tebow on Tuesday night. He just followed his instincts.
If you want the best NBA Finals, your instincts should mimic Pierce’s. Drop to one knee and pray for Boston-LA.
—Paul Pierce says half-court Tebow was ‘just came to me’
It had almost no prayer of happening when the playoffs began. After Tuesday night, we can at least Tebow without being called idiots.
Romantic fools, maybe. You can even call us old farts for wanting to see Lakers-Celtics instead of Miami-Oklahoma City.
The Heat-Thunder is the trendy Finals pick, and it certainly has appeal. It just doesn’t have as much appeal as Boston and Los Angeles.
For one thing, if LeBron James wins a title, we’d have nothing left to make fun of him with. But the main reason we can wait for a Heat-Thunder Finals is we’re likely to get five of them in the next six years.
After this year, we’re not likely to see Boston-LA in Jack Nicholson’s lifetime. It’s an upset we’re even seeing them now considering the past few months.
The only thing more fragile than Kobe Bryant’s body was Pau Gasol’s head. Andrew Bynum was great when he wasn’t getting benched for jacking up 3-pointers. Metta World Peace needs no further comment.
Boston’s Big Three were declared a national historic landmark years ago. Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett somehow are still standing, though Allen has trouble doing that.
He’s been out with a bad ankle. Rajon Rondo was suspended for bumping a ref in Game 1 against Atlanta. All that meant the Hawks should have had a 2-0 lead after Tuesday night’s game.
Along came Pierce, who had 36 points and 14 rebounds in 44 trying minutes. Late in the fourth quarter of the 87-80 win, he went Tebow at midcourt.
“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Pierce said. “It was instinctive. Just like when I’m going to shoot a three or a jumper. It was instincts.”
A couple of hours later at the Staples Center, Bryant’s scoring instincts produced 38 points and a 104-100 win over Denver. Since Kobe arrived in 1997, the Lakers have never lost a series they led 2-0.
Bynum and Gasol are playing great, and World Peace will return in the next round. The Thunder and Spurs still lurk in the West, while the East has been decimated down to Miami.
So when it comes to an LA-Boston Finals, your head still asks why? Your heart says why not?
It would be like the Grateful Dead getting back together for a final concert. If you didn’t like the Grateful Dead, substitute Beatles or Led Zeppelin or Elvis and TCB Band.
Oklahoma City vs. Miami would be Taylor Swift vs. Lady Gaga. Kevin Durant wasn’t even alive when the first “Beat LA!” cheer rose in Boston Garden.
The NBA Finals came of age when Magic threw down his baby sky hook and Kevin McHale threw down Kurt Rambis. To players like Durant, Russell and Chamberlain might as well be Lewis and Clark.
I realize none of the aforementioned gentlemen would be playing in this year’s Finals. But it’d be nice to see the two greatest franchises in NBA history clash one more time.
Boston and LA have won 33 titles. The current tally:
Celtics 17, Lakers 16.
A Heat-Thunder series would have great players. A Lakers-Celtics series would have great history and great players we may not see again.
“Too old for this,” Pierce tweeted after Tuesday’s game. “I need a bed right now!!”
Suck it up, Paul. After this season, the Celtics and Lakers will go into hibernation. So follow your instincts, NBA fans.
Just one more time, wouldn’t you like to see Nicholson’s sideline smirk and hear “Beat LA!”
“Beat Oklahoma City!” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
If you want the best NBA Finals, your instincts should mimic Pierce’s. Drop to one knee and pray for Boston-LA.
—Paul Pierce says half-court Tebow was ‘just came to me’
It had almost no prayer of happening when the playoffs began. After Tuesday night, we can at least Tebow without being called idiots.
Romantic fools, maybe. You can even call us old farts for wanting to see Lakers-Celtics instead of Miami-Oklahoma City.
The Heat-Thunder is the trendy Finals pick, and it certainly has appeal. It just doesn’t have as much appeal as Boston and Los Angeles.
For one thing, if LeBron James wins a title, we’d have nothing left to make fun of him with. But the main reason we can wait for a Heat-Thunder Finals is we’re likely to get five of them in the next six years.
After this year, we’re not likely to see Boston-LA in Jack Nicholson’s lifetime. It’s an upset we’re even seeing them now considering the past few months.
The only thing more fragile than Kobe Bryant’s body was Pau Gasol’s head. Andrew Bynum was great when he wasn’t getting benched for jacking up 3-pointers. Metta World Peace needs no further comment.
Boston’s Big Three were declared a national historic landmark years ago. Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett somehow are still standing, though Allen has trouble doing that.
He’s been out with a bad ankle. Rajon Rondo was suspended for bumping a ref in Game 1 against Atlanta. All that meant the Hawks should have had a 2-0 lead after Tuesday night’s game.
Along came Pierce, who had 36 points and 14 rebounds in 44 trying minutes. Late in the fourth quarter of the 87-80 win, he went Tebow at midcourt.
“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Pierce said. “It was instinctive. Just like when I’m going to shoot a three or a jumper. It was instincts.”
A couple of hours later at the Staples Center, Bryant’s scoring instincts produced 38 points and a 104-100 win over Denver. Since Kobe arrived in 1997, the Lakers have never lost a series they led 2-0.
Bynum and Gasol are playing great, and World Peace will return in the next round. The Thunder and Spurs still lurk in the West, while the East has been decimated down to Miami.
So when it comes to an LA-Boston Finals, your head still asks why? Your heart says why not?
It would be like the Grateful Dead getting back together for a final concert. If you didn’t like the Grateful Dead, substitute Beatles or Led Zeppelin or Elvis and TCB Band.
Oklahoma City vs. Miami would be Taylor Swift vs. Lady Gaga. Kevin Durant wasn’t even alive when the first “Beat LA!” cheer rose in Boston Garden.
The NBA Finals came of age when Magic threw down his baby sky hook and Kevin McHale threw down Kurt Rambis. To players like Durant, Russell and Chamberlain might as well be Lewis and Clark.
I realize none of the aforementioned gentlemen would be playing in this year’s Finals. But it’d be nice to see the two greatest franchises in NBA history clash one more time.
Boston and LA have won 33 titles. The current tally:
Celtics 17, Lakers 16.
A Heat-Thunder series would have great players. A Lakers-Celtics series would have great history and great players we may not see again.
“Too old for this,” Pierce tweeted after Tuesday’s game. “I need a bed right now!!”
Suck it up, Paul. After this season, the Celtics and Lakers will go into hibernation. So follow your instincts, NBA fans.
Just one more time, wouldn’t you like to see Nicholson’s sideline smirk and hear “Beat LA!”
“Beat Oklahoma City!” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Amare Stoudemire: 'Great chance' he can play in Game 4
Amare Stoudemire says there's a "great chance" he can play in Game 4 of the New York Knicks' series against the Miami Heat on Sunday despite cutting his left hand on a fire extinguisher case and having surgery on Tuesday.
Stoudemire will not play in Thursday's Game 3 and is considered “doubtful” for Game 4, but Stoudemire says he's "not totally sure yet" if he’s out for Sunday. The prevailing expectation was that he would not be able to play for the remainder of the series, which the Heat lead, 2-0.
"I just persevere through a lot of injuries and work hard to recover from injuries," Stoudemire said, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a person who witnessed Stoudemire punching the glass enclosure at American Airlines Arena on Monday offered a gruesome account of the incident, telling ESPN, "Half of his hand was just hanging off. It was really bad,” the source said. “Blood was just squirting out. That's why they had the paramedics come in, because they thought he might have punctured an artery because of how much blood was coming out. ... "
"He didn't haul off and punch the glass; he hit it out of frustration," the witness added. "He kind of slapped it, but with a closed fist. He said he thought it was plastic instead of glass."
Stoudemire will not play in Thursday's Game 3 and is considered “doubtful” for Game 4, but Stoudemire says he's "not totally sure yet" if he’s out for Sunday. The prevailing expectation was that he would not be able to play for the remainder of the series, which the Heat lead, 2-0.
"I just persevere through a lot of injuries and work hard to recover from injuries," Stoudemire said, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a person who witnessed Stoudemire punching the glass enclosure at American Airlines Arena on Monday offered a gruesome account of the incident, telling ESPN, "Half of his hand was just hanging off. It was really bad,” the source said. “Blood was just squirting out. That's why they had the paramedics come in, because they thought he might have punctured an artery because of how much blood was coming out. ... "
"He didn't haul off and punch the glass; he hit it out of frustration," the witness added. "He kind of slapped it, but with a closed fist. He said he thought it was plastic instead of glass."
5.01.2012
Amare Stoudemire avoids serious damage, but out for Game 3 against Heat
Amare Stoudemire suffered no ligament or tendon damage in his left hand after punching a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher Monday night at American Airlines Arena, but he still won’t be able to play in Game 3 Thursday night in New York and is likely out for the rest of the series against the Heat, the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reports via Twitter.
The incident occurred after the Knicks’ lost to the Heat, 104-94, in Game 2 to go down 2-0 in the first-round playoff series.
That Stoudemire probably won’t be able to return during the series was the expected news.
"I am so mad at myself right now," Stoudemire wrote on Twitter. "I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions. headed home for a new start."
Knicks center Tyson Chandler told Yahoo! Sports, "He’s probably going to be out. … Amare’s is a huge part of this team. Without him, it’ll make it more difficult. We already lost one player in the starting lineup (Iman Shumpert). That’s two players out of the starting lineup.”
But Carmelo Anthony refuses to concede that the series is over.
“It’s far from over,” Anthony said, per the Daily News, “We believe that and I believe that.”
The incident occurred after the Knicks’ lost to the Heat, 104-94, in Game 2 to go down 2-0 in the first-round playoff series.
That Stoudemire probably won’t be able to return during the series was the expected news.
"I am so mad at myself right now," Stoudemire wrote on Twitter. "I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions. headed home for a new start."
Knicks center Tyson Chandler told Yahoo! Sports, "He’s probably going to be out. … Amare’s is a huge part of this team. Without him, it’ll make it more difficult. We already lost one player in the starting lineup (Iman Shumpert). That’s two players out of the starting lineup.”
But Carmelo Anthony refuses to concede that the series is over.
“It’s far from over,” Anthony said, per the Daily News, “We believe that and I believe that.”
Spurs’ Gregg Popovich wins NBA coach of the year award
SAN ANTONIO — Gregg Popovich was selected as the NBA's Coach of the Year on Tuesday after leading the San Antonio Spurs to 50 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the lockout-shortened season.
Popovich also won the award in 2003 when San Antonio won its second of four championships, and he might be headed for a fifth ring if the Spurs keep this up. No longer able to simply lean on Tim Duncan and defense, Popovich has nonetheless molded another contender with a surprising supporting cast of rookies and former NBA no-names.
Sporting News’ Sean Deveney had Popovich first on his ballot and wrote last week that the 16th-year Spurs coach “plugged in parts like Danny Green, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills, Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to help overcome the aging of Duncan and an injury to Manu Ginobili, keeping the Spurs at the top of the West.” After a bumpy 12-9 start, the Spurs lost only seven more games the rest of the season.
"If you can draft David Robinson and follow that up with Tim Duncan, that's a couple of decades of very, very possible success unless you just screw it up," Popovich said. "So it's hard to take credit when circumstances have gone your way so consistently."
Popovich received 77 first-place votes. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau was second (27), Indiana coach Frank Vogel was third (7) and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was fourth (6). Boston's Doc Rivers and Denver's George Karl each received a vote.
The season loomed as one of Popovich's toughest projects yet. Besides Duncan and Manu Ginobili growing another year older, the Spurs started the year with much of the same roster that fell in the first round to the up-and-coming Grizzlies last spring.
But Popovich, who is also team president, looked in unlikely places to keep San Antonio's championship window from shutting just yet. Rookie forward Kawhi Leonard became a starter by midseason, as did swingman Danny Green.
"Pop has done a terrific job molding a mix of experience and inexperience," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said.
Popovich also steered the Spurs through what has typically been a death-knell for them in recent years: injuries to their Big Three. Ginobili missed nearly half the season after breaking his hand, yet San Antonio still kept winning without their playmaking guard.
Popovich was aggressive as ever in keeping his stars healthy. He willingly surrendered 11-game winning streaks twice to avoid wear and tear on Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker, keeping them on the bench or home altogether four times this year.
Duncan has called this Popovich's best season between managing minutes and integrating the newcomers despite the condensed schedule.
"Timmy just wants to get minutes," Popovich said. "He's just trying to ingratiate himself."
Popovich also won the award in 2003 when San Antonio won its second of four championships, and he might be headed for a fifth ring if the Spurs keep this up. No longer able to simply lean on Tim Duncan and defense, Popovich has nonetheless molded another contender with a surprising supporting cast of rookies and former NBA no-names.
Sporting News’ Sean Deveney had Popovich first on his ballot and wrote last week that the 16th-year Spurs coach “plugged in parts like Danny Green, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills, Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to help overcome the aging of Duncan and an injury to Manu Ginobili, keeping the Spurs at the top of the West.” After a bumpy 12-9 start, the Spurs lost only seven more games the rest of the season.
"If you can draft David Robinson and follow that up with Tim Duncan, that's a couple of decades of very, very possible success unless you just screw it up," Popovich said. "So it's hard to take credit when circumstances have gone your way so consistently."
Popovich received 77 first-place votes. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau was second (27), Indiana coach Frank Vogel was third (7) and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was fourth (6). Boston's Doc Rivers and Denver's George Karl each received a vote.
The season loomed as one of Popovich's toughest projects yet. Besides Duncan and Manu Ginobili growing another year older, the Spurs started the year with much of the same roster that fell in the first round to the up-and-coming Grizzlies last spring.
But Popovich, who is also team president, looked in unlikely places to keep San Antonio's championship window from shutting just yet. Rookie forward Kawhi Leonard became a starter by midseason, as did swingman Danny Green.
"Pop has done a terrific job molding a mix of experience and inexperience," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said.
Popovich also steered the Spurs through what has typically been a death-knell for them in recent years: injuries to their Big Three. Ginobili missed nearly half the season after breaking his hand, yet San Antonio still kept winning without their playmaking guard.
Popovich was aggressive as ever in keeping his stars healthy. He willingly surrendered 11-game winning streaks twice to avoid wear and tear on Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker, keeping them on the bench or home altogether four times this year.
Duncan has called this Popovich's best season between managing minutes and integrating the newcomers despite the condensed schedule.
"Timmy just wants to get minutes," Popovich said. "He's just trying to ingratiate himself."
Only the Heat stand between the Heat and the NBA Finals … really
The Miami Heat’s opponents for the remainder of the Eastern Conference playoffs are as follows: Boredom, Complacency, Expectations.
Beat them down, and LeBron James and Co. are back in the NBA Finals. Because that trio will put up a more competitive fight than the actual other East teams.
Maybe LeBron can revise his infamous remarks from the welcome-to-Miami celebration two summers ago. Instead of counting potential championships with “Not two, not three, not four …” he can rattle off one-time potential threats to a Finals return trip that suddenly aren’t as threatening.
“Not Orlando, not Boston, not Chicago …”
Not New York, that’s for sure. But isn’t it fitting now that the Knicks, perceived to be capable of throwing a mild scare into the Heat in their first-round series, are either imploding physically (Iman Shumpert’s knee) or mentally (Amare)? New York is only the latest Eastern Conference opponent to have doom visit in some form—and as it turns out only the latest to inflict it on itself.
It has to be karma … and, truthfully, it was the Heat’s turn to get the benefit of it themselves. With their actions and antics last season—The Decision, the introduction party, the premature celebrations, the fake-coughs—they brought their eventual demise on themselves. However, the public’s overwhelming desire to see the Heat fall might just be turning the cosmic tables; they might have wanted to see the Big Three go down in flames again a little too much.
The result? Every team in the East that could delay the inevitability of Miami’s returning to the Finals is crumbling before our eyes.
How do you want them listed? Chronologically, or in order of impact on the fate of the conference playoffs? Let’s try the latter, because putting Derrick Rose’s blown ACL anywhere but at the top of any such list is an injustice to him and the ripple effects of the injury.
The Bulls aren’t going to beat Miami without Rose, period. The franchise is putting on a brave face. On Monday, the day before the Bulls’ Game 2 in Chicago against the 76ers, the players talked about overcoming the odds and proving doubters wrong and circling the wagons and, basically, win without Rose.
The Bulls have done it so often, it might just work … until they play Miami. And then, the only way it works is if the Heat lose their most indispensable player, too.
As for Boston, playing Tuesday in Atlanta down 1-0 and without ref-bumping Rajon Rondo? Here is another team that would have had a chance to grind past Miami if everyone on the aging roster held together physically.
If it can’t hold it together mentally? No way.
Orlando, meanwhile, had little chance to even extend the Heat to a long series with Dwight Howard. But his back gave out on the eve of the playoffs. Cross them off the list, too.
Now, for the defending conference champions and reigning heirs apparent … who is left to give them a stiff fight?
Themselves.
Miami now has to guard against the aforementioned self-imposed obstacles. The Heat can’t just roll the ball out onto the court at Madison Square Garden this week to finish off the first round. They can’t presume they can coast past either Indiana or Dwight-less Orlando without either team pushing back hard. They can’t just mark time waiting for an inevitable East finals showdown against either Boston or Chicago, both of whom they controlled with surprising ease last spring.
More important is the opposite: no freezing up in the moment. No buckling under the weight of expectations that got infinitely heavier within the playoffs’ first three days. To lose anywhere short of the Finals would be devastating, and nobody involved would ever hear the end of it. It’s considered that much of a walkover now that a loss would be a bigger taint than the one last June to the Mavericks.
Take that effect, multiply it by about a million, and that’s what the effect on LeBron will be if it happens.
Thus, all he and the Heat have to do is not let any of that bother them. Certainly, nobody else in the East will.
Beat them down, and LeBron James and Co. are back in the NBA Finals. Because that trio will put up a more competitive fight than the actual other East teams.
Maybe LeBron can revise his infamous remarks from the welcome-to-Miami celebration two summers ago. Instead of counting potential championships with “Not two, not three, not four …” he can rattle off one-time potential threats to a Finals return trip that suddenly aren’t as threatening.
“Not Orlando, not Boston, not Chicago …”
Not New York, that’s for sure. But isn’t it fitting now that the Knicks, perceived to be capable of throwing a mild scare into the Heat in their first-round series, are either imploding physically (Iman Shumpert’s knee) or mentally (Amare)? New York is only the latest Eastern Conference opponent to have doom visit in some form—and as it turns out only the latest to inflict it on itself.
It has to be karma … and, truthfully, it was the Heat’s turn to get the benefit of it themselves. With their actions and antics last season—The Decision, the introduction party, the premature celebrations, the fake-coughs—they brought their eventual demise on themselves. However, the public’s overwhelming desire to see the Heat fall might just be turning the cosmic tables; they might have wanted to see the Big Three go down in flames again a little too much.
The result? Every team in the East that could delay the inevitability of Miami’s returning to the Finals is crumbling before our eyes.
How do you want them listed? Chronologically, or in order of impact on the fate of the conference playoffs? Let’s try the latter, because putting Derrick Rose’s blown ACL anywhere but at the top of any such list is an injustice to him and the ripple effects of the injury.
The Bulls aren’t going to beat Miami without Rose, period. The franchise is putting on a brave face. On Monday, the day before the Bulls’ Game 2 in Chicago against the 76ers, the players talked about overcoming the odds and proving doubters wrong and circling the wagons and, basically, win without Rose.
The Bulls have done it so often, it might just work … until they play Miami. And then, the only way it works is if the Heat lose their most indispensable player, too.
As for Boston, playing Tuesday in Atlanta down 1-0 and without ref-bumping Rajon Rondo? Here is another team that would have had a chance to grind past Miami if everyone on the aging roster held together physically.
If it can’t hold it together mentally? No way.
Orlando, meanwhile, had little chance to even extend the Heat to a long series with Dwight Howard. But his back gave out on the eve of the playoffs. Cross them off the list, too.
Now, for the defending conference champions and reigning heirs apparent … who is left to give them a stiff fight?
Themselves.
Miami now has to guard against the aforementioned self-imposed obstacles. The Heat can’t just roll the ball out onto the court at Madison Square Garden this week to finish off the first round. They can’t presume they can coast past either Indiana or Dwight-less Orlando without either team pushing back hard. They can’t just mark time waiting for an inevitable East finals showdown against either Boston or Chicago, both of whom they controlled with surprising ease last spring.
More important is the opposite: no freezing up in the moment. No buckling under the weight of expectations that got infinitely heavier within the playoffs’ first three days. To lose anywhere short of the Finals would be devastating, and nobody involved would ever hear the end of it. It’s considered that much of a walkover now that a loss would be a bigger taint than the one last June to the Mavericks.
Take that effect, multiply it by about a million, and that’s what the effect on LeBron will be if it happens.
Thus, all he and the Heat have to do is not let any of that bother them. Certainly, nobody else in the East will.
With no championship in sight, Amare Stoudemire’s on-court frustration boils over
On Monday, after his New York Knicks fell behind the Miami Heat, 2-0, in their first-round playoff series, Amare Stoudemire put his hand through the glass of an enclosed fire extinguisher. The extinguisher won the bout—Stoudemire left American Airlines Arena with his left arm in a sling, having suffered lacerations on his hand that will jeopardize his availability for the already reeling Knicks.
Stoudemire did not speak to the media after the game—apparently busy getting treated by paramedics—but he did address the injury on Twitter Monday night. “I am so mad at myself right now,” Stoudemire tweeted. “I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start.”
There has been much outrage in New York in the hours since the extinguisher dust-up—about the selfishness of Stoudemire’s act, about the damage he has done to his team, about how he has cost his Knicks a chance to upset the Heat. That, however, is mostly bunk. No doubt, punching a plate of glass out of frustration is a pointless exercise, but this wasn’t some premeditated act by Stoudemire designed to bring attention to himself. This was, rather, the eighth straight loss of his postseason life, a loss in which, after being blitzed by Miami in Game 1, the Knicks were slowly drubbed into submission in Game 2.
Anyone who can’t see why Stoudemire might be feeling some frustration lately hasn’t been paying attention. Put aside, even, the death of his brother in a car accident in February. For strictly basketball reasons alone, the last few months have brought home a reality that scares the Knicks, the team’s fans and Stoudemire himself, even more than cuts on his hand—Stoudemire just might not be able to do it anymore.
MORE: Divergent paths for Stoudemire, Ovechkin
Remember, this is the time of year when Stoudemire first made his name. In his third season in the league, 2004-05, Stoudemire proved himself an NBA star of the highest order, one of the elites. He had a 40-point, 16-rebound effort in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Dallas, 37 points with 14 rebounds in Game 3, and 33 and 18 in Game 5. Against the Spurs in the conference finals, the Suns went out in five games, but that series still belonged to the 22-year-old Stoudemire—he averaged 37.0 points, shot 55.0 percent, got to the free-throw line 10.2 times per game and shot 84.3 percent on his foul shots. Heading into the ’05-06 season, on Sporting News’ annual Top 50 list, Stoudemire ranked fifth, just ahead of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
But Stoudemire suffered a knee injury that required microfracture surgery the following year, and though he has since returned to All-Star level, there has always been a sense that the knee would catch up with him. It was, in part, why Phoenix would not give him a long-term contract extension before he left the Suns in 2010, and why his Knicks contract is uninsured. It’s also pretty clearly why Stoudemire has never regained the form that made him look like a future Hall of Famer and MVP in the '05 playoffs.
And then this year happened. Stoudemire was one of many NBA stars who came out of the gates slowly following the lockout, but unlike other star players, he never raised his level. He averaged 17.5 points, his lowest output in since his rookie year, other than the '05-06 season in which he played just three games He shot 48.3 percent, lowest since his second season. His explosiveness had been on the decline in recent years, but this year, it just didn’t seem to be there at all. In March, Mike D’Antoni, the coach whose system helped make Stoudemire a star in those early years in Phoenix, was fired—Stoudemire could not carry the load in D’Antoni’s offense anymore, and the team needed a system that better emphasized small forward Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks, according the NBA’s advanced stats site, were a better team without Stoudemire on the floor. In fact, Stoudemire was one of only four Knicks regulars (Mike Bibby, Bill Walker and Toney Douglas were the others) who rated negatively in “Net Rating,” a measure of the team’s scoring margin per 100 possessions. Stoudemire was -2.7, worst on the team.
He opened the playoffs in Game 1 against the Heat with nine points on 2-for-7 shooting, and though he was better on Monday (18 points, 6-for-9 shooting), the frustration of still not having won a playoff game with the Knicks—he was to be this franchise’s savior when he signed in '10, after all—had to be building for Stoudemire.
“It is playoff basketball,” NBA TV analyst Brent Barry said. “We are seeing the frustration on the court with the coaches, you see it with players and officials. You have got to be able to control that part of the game and it is very difficult to do. You want your players to be invested, you want them to be all in.”
Stoudemire is all in, maybe a little too much. That doesn’t necessarily excuse Stoudemire for doing something he should not have done.
He should have curbed his emotions. But what has happened to Stoudemire’s game in the last few months does, at least, make his outburst more understandable. He wants badly to be the player he was in ’05, he wants to be the marquee guy the Knicks thought they were getting in ’10. He has been neither—in fact, his team has been better with him not on the floor, and with or without him, the Knicks probably have no chance against Miami.
Stoudemire is only 29, but his game is in decline. The playoffs, once his springboard to fame and fortune, are now crystallizing that reality, and there has to be some part of Stoudemire that knows it. He was once considered a star ahead of Miami leaders James and Wade. Now, as those guys run circles around Stoudemire and his team, it should be no surprise there was a well of frustration gathering. He shouldn’t have taken it out on a fire extinguisher. But it’s easy to see why he did.
Stoudemire did not speak to the media after the game—apparently busy getting treated by paramedics—but he did address the injury on Twitter Monday night. “I am so mad at myself right now,” Stoudemire tweeted. “I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start.”
There has been much outrage in New York in the hours since the extinguisher dust-up—about the selfishness of Stoudemire’s act, about the damage he has done to his team, about how he has cost his Knicks a chance to upset the Heat. That, however, is mostly bunk. No doubt, punching a plate of glass out of frustration is a pointless exercise, but this wasn’t some premeditated act by Stoudemire designed to bring attention to himself. This was, rather, the eighth straight loss of his postseason life, a loss in which, after being blitzed by Miami in Game 1, the Knicks were slowly drubbed into submission in Game 2.
Anyone who can’t see why Stoudemire might be feeling some frustration lately hasn’t been paying attention. Put aside, even, the death of his brother in a car accident in February. For strictly basketball reasons alone, the last few months have brought home a reality that scares the Knicks, the team’s fans and Stoudemire himself, even more than cuts on his hand—Stoudemire just might not be able to do it anymore.
MORE: Divergent paths for Stoudemire, Ovechkin
Remember, this is the time of year when Stoudemire first made his name. In his third season in the league, 2004-05, Stoudemire proved himself an NBA star of the highest order, one of the elites. He had a 40-point, 16-rebound effort in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Dallas, 37 points with 14 rebounds in Game 3, and 33 and 18 in Game 5. Against the Spurs in the conference finals, the Suns went out in five games, but that series still belonged to the 22-year-old Stoudemire—he averaged 37.0 points, shot 55.0 percent, got to the free-throw line 10.2 times per game and shot 84.3 percent on his foul shots. Heading into the ’05-06 season, on Sporting News’ annual Top 50 list, Stoudemire ranked fifth, just ahead of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
But Stoudemire suffered a knee injury that required microfracture surgery the following year, and though he has since returned to All-Star level, there has always been a sense that the knee would catch up with him. It was, in part, why Phoenix would not give him a long-term contract extension before he left the Suns in 2010, and why his Knicks contract is uninsured. It’s also pretty clearly why Stoudemire has never regained the form that made him look like a future Hall of Famer and MVP in the '05 playoffs.
And then this year happened. Stoudemire was one of many NBA stars who came out of the gates slowly following the lockout, but unlike other star players, he never raised his level. He averaged 17.5 points, his lowest output in since his rookie year, other than the '05-06 season in which he played just three games He shot 48.3 percent, lowest since his second season. His explosiveness had been on the decline in recent years, but this year, it just didn’t seem to be there at all. In March, Mike D’Antoni, the coach whose system helped make Stoudemire a star in those early years in Phoenix, was fired—Stoudemire could not carry the load in D’Antoni’s offense anymore, and the team needed a system that better emphasized small forward Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks, according the NBA’s advanced stats site, were a better team without Stoudemire on the floor. In fact, Stoudemire was one of only four Knicks regulars (Mike Bibby, Bill Walker and Toney Douglas were the others) who rated negatively in “Net Rating,” a measure of the team’s scoring margin per 100 possessions. Stoudemire was -2.7, worst on the team.
He opened the playoffs in Game 1 against the Heat with nine points on 2-for-7 shooting, and though he was better on Monday (18 points, 6-for-9 shooting), the frustration of still not having won a playoff game with the Knicks—he was to be this franchise’s savior when he signed in '10, after all—had to be building for Stoudemire.
“It is playoff basketball,” NBA TV analyst Brent Barry said. “We are seeing the frustration on the court with the coaches, you see it with players and officials. You have got to be able to control that part of the game and it is very difficult to do. You want your players to be invested, you want them to be all in.”
Stoudemire is all in, maybe a little too much. That doesn’t necessarily excuse Stoudemire for doing something he should not have done.
He should have curbed his emotions. But what has happened to Stoudemire’s game in the last few months does, at least, make his outburst more understandable. He wants badly to be the player he was in ’05, he wants to be the marquee guy the Knicks thought they were getting in ’10. He has been neither—in fact, his team has been better with him not on the floor, and with or without him, the Knicks probably have no chance against Miami.
Stoudemire is only 29, but his game is in decline. The playoffs, once his springboard to fame and fortune, are now crystallizing that reality, and there has to be some part of Stoudemire that knows it. He was once considered a star ahead of Miami leaders James and Wade. Now, as those guys run circles around Stoudemire and his team, it should be no surprise there was a well of frustration gathering. He shouldn’t have taken it out on a fire extinguisher. But it’s easy to see why he did.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle asks Thunder to cut the 'cheap,' 'dirty' play
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, after Dallas lost in Oklahoma City, 102-99, Tuesday night, accused the Thunder of ‘cheap’ and ‘dirty’ play. The Thunder lead the first-round playoff series, 2-0. Game 3 is Thursday night in Dallas.
Game 2 on Monday night was chippy. About midway through the first quarter, Thunder forward Serge Ibaka hit Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki in the face on a Nowitzki shot attempt. No foul was called, and Nowitzki shoved Ibaka on the way back down the court. A few possessions later, center Kendrick Perkins and Nowitzki were each handed technical fouls after an exchange of pleasantries. Perkins was called for a loose ball foul for giving Nowitzki a forearm to the back, and Nowitzki then turned around and laid his shoulder into Perkins’ chest. Perkins then shoved back.
Said Nowitzki, "That play was nothing. He tried to bully me and I bullied back a little bit. We talked about some stuff and moved on. I don't think that play was anything special. It's just the playoffs, two teams going at it. It was just a hard play."
"It's playoff basketball. It's physical," Carlisle said, according to ESPNDallas.com. "I mean, we don't like the cheap shots when they give them, and they don't like them if we give them. That's the nature of competition.
"Hey, I love hard play, clean, competitive playoff series. You throw the ball up and may the best team win, but the dirty bull---- has got to stop. We don't want anybody getting hurt out there either way."
"It's just playoff basketball," Perkins said. "I mean, just grown men out here playing basketball and teams trying to advance. You know, you're just out here playing. There's nothing to hurt nobody or nothing like that. Neither side is going to bow down. They're not, we're not, so we're just out here playing and competing on a high level."
Carlisle’s complaints actually started after Saturday's Game 1, and Thunder coach Scott Brooks told reporters that they should have seen them coming.
“Just go back to your quotes in 2011. He said the same thing then,” Brooks said, per The Oklahoman.
Carlisle responded, “If there’s been a memo issued saying that if you elbow a guy in the throat it’s legal, I would appreciate that memo being passed along.”
Carlisle and Brooks were roommates when they played in the CBA together.
The first two games of the series have been close, with Oklahoma City squeaking
Game 2 on Monday night was chippy. About midway through the first quarter, Thunder forward Serge Ibaka hit Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki in the face on a Nowitzki shot attempt. No foul was called, and Nowitzki shoved Ibaka on the way back down the court. A few possessions later, center Kendrick Perkins and Nowitzki were each handed technical fouls after an exchange of pleasantries. Perkins was called for a loose ball foul for giving Nowitzki a forearm to the back, and Nowitzki then turned around and laid his shoulder into Perkins’ chest. Perkins then shoved back.
Said Nowitzki, "That play was nothing. He tried to bully me and I bullied back a little bit. We talked about some stuff and moved on. I don't think that play was anything special. It's just the playoffs, two teams going at it. It was just a hard play."
"It's playoff basketball. It's physical," Carlisle said, according to ESPNDallas.com. "I mean, we don't like the cheap shots when they give them, and they don't like them if we give them. That's the nature of competition.
"Hey, I love hard play, clean, competitive playoff series. You throw the ball up and may the best team win, but the dirty bull---- has got to stop. We don't want anybody getting hurt out there either way."
"It's just playoff basketball," Perkins said. "I mean, just grown men out here playing basketball and teams trying to advance. You know, you're just out here playing. There's nothing to hurt nobody or nothing like that. Neither side is going to bow down. They're not, we're not, so we're just out here playing and competing on a high level."
Carlisle’s complaints actually started after Saturday's Game 1, and Thunder coach Scott Brooks told reporters that they should have seen them coming.
“Just go back to your quotes in 2011. He said the same thing then,” Brooks said, per The Oklahoman.
Carlisle responded, “If there’s been a memo issued saying that if you elbow a guy in the throat it’s legal, I would appreciate that memo being passed along.”
Carlisle and Brooks were roommates when they played in the CBA together.
The first two games of the series have been close, with Oklahoma City squeaking
4.30.2012
Tyson Chandler ready for Game 2; Melo, Stoudemire arrange private Knicks workout
Tyson Chandler, who’s been sick with the flu, will play in Game 2 of the New York Knicks-Miami Heat first-round playoff series Monday night, as he’s feeling better and his fever is down, Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears reports via Twitter.
Chandler played just 21 minutes in Game 1 and wasn’t very productive—he had no points and no blocks, as well as just three rebounds and two steals. Reports yesterday said that even if he plays in Game 2, he’d again be limited.
Point guard Baron Davis, whose back stiffened up in Game 1, is a game-time decision but says he’ll play tonight. Iman Shumpert tore his ACL on Saturday and is out for several months.
Meanwhile, after the Knicks suffered a huge, 100-67 loss in Game 1, star forwards and co-captains Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire got their teammates together for a private workout at a Miami gym Sunday night, the New York Post reports.
“We’re definitely not at a low,” Anthony said, per The Post. “We’re definitely still a confident team. We felt we didn’t play our game (Saturday) and we want to correct that. (Today’s) a new day. (Today’s) Game 2 and Round 2.”
Anthony had just 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting on Saturday but says he doesn’t have to have a huge offensive game for the Knicks to win.
“We’re all going to have to do it," Anthony said, according to The Post. “Everyone’s going to have to do a lot more due to the lack of players we’re going to have. We don’t know who is going to play. Everyone’s going to have to do a little more than what they’re doing right now."
Chandler played just 21 minutes in Game 1 and wasn’t very productive—he had no points and no blocks, as well as just three rebounds and two steals. Reports yesterday said that even if he plays in Game 2, he’d again be limited.
Point guard Baron Davis, whose back stiffened up in Game 1, is a game-time decision but says he’ll play tonight. Iman Shumpert tore his ACL on Saturday and is out for several months.
Meanwhile, after the Knicks suffered a huge, 100-67 loss in Game 1, star forwards and co-captains Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire got their teammates together for a private workout at a Miami gym Sunday night, the New York Post reports.
“We’re definitely not at a low,” Anthony said, per The Post. “We’re definitely still a confident team. We felt we didn’t play our game (Saturday) and we want to correct that. (Today’s) a new day. (Today’s) Game 2 and Round 2.”
Anthony had just 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting on Saturday but says he doesn’t have to have a huge offensive game for the Knicks to win.
“We’re all going to have to do it," Anthony said, according to The Post. “Everyone’s going to have to do a lot more due to the lack of players we’re going to have. We don’t know who is going to play. Everyone’s going to have to do a little more than what they’re doing right now."
Floyd Mayweather $1.8 million bet wager Clippers grizzlies Game 1
As the Los Angeles Clippers made their historic comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, there was no one cheering harder than boxer Floyd Mayweather. That’s because Mayweather allegedly wagered $1.8 million on the Clippers, a six-point underdog.
According to a tweet cited by various websites, including Black Sports Online, Mayweather’s personal handicapper confirmed that the fighter made $1.8 million worth of bets on the Clippers across seven different sports books.
The Clippers trailed by 21 after the third quarter. They closed the gap to six, 96-90, on a Nick Young 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the game. Young hit another 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining to make the score 96-93. Mayweather was winning his bet at that point, and the Clippers went onto win the game outright, 99-98.
According to a tweet cited by various websites, including Black Sports Online, Mayweather’s personal handicapper confirmed that the fighter made $1.8 million worth of bets on the Clippers across seven different sports books.
The Clippers trailed by 21 after the third quarter. They closed the gap to six, 96-90, on a Nick Young 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the game. Young hit another 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining to make the score 96-93. Mayweather was winning his bet at that point, and the Clippers went onto win the game outright, 99-98.
Brooklyn Nets unveil new logo designed by Jay-Z
The move from New Jersey means a new look for the Brooklyn Nets. On Monday, fans got to see what that look will be next season.
The logo is black and white, and created by Jay-Z, a part owner of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets keep the team's old "shield" design and, according to a news release from the team, Nets CEO Brett Yormark called it "the new badge for Brookyln."
The team's jerseys, according to netsstore.com, are coming in September, but you can purchase shirts and other apparel with the new logo today.
The Nets' final game in New Jersey drew a sellout crowd, but the team was slammed by Gov. Chris Christie as it made its way out of town.
The future of the team figures to be dictated more by the decision of point guard Deron Williams this summer and not a fresh new logo. For his part, Williams says winning remains the most important factor for him, but that he'll consider the Nets as a free agent this summer. The Nets finished well out of the playoff hunt with a 22-44 record, capped by a six-game losing streak to end the season.
The logo is black and white, and created by Jay-Z, a part owner of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets keep the team's old "shield" design and, according to a news release from the team, Nets CEO Brett Yormark called it "the new badge for Brookyln."
The team's jerseys, according to netsstore.com, are coming in September, but you can purchase shirts and other apparel with the new logo today.
The Nets' final game in New Jersey drew a sellout crowd, but the team was slammed by Gov. Chris Christie as it made its way out of town.
The future of the team figures to be dictated more by the decision of point guard Deron Williams this summer and not a fresh new logo. For his part, Williams says winning remains the most important factor for him, but that he'll consider the Nets as a free agent this summer. The Nets finished well out of the playoff hunt with a 22-44 record, capped by a six-game losing streak to end the season.
4.28.2012
Deron Williams says winning most important, will still consider Nets
Deron Williams will still hit free agency, and he'll still consider returning to the Nets.
“I want to win, that’s first and foremost," the All-Star point guard said on the team's breakup day on Friday, according to the Star-Ledger. “So I’m going to go where I feel we have the best chance to win. I know we might not win a championship in the first year or two, but hopefully, (the place I go) has the chances of building something special, and has flexibility—just somewhere where I believe they’re headed in the right direction."
Williams said he could “definitely" see himself in a Nets uniform next season when the team moves into its new arena in Brooklyn.
“I’m still looking at all the possibilities here,’’ he said. “I went to the arena a couple days ago and saw how it was, and it’s going to be an exciting arena. It’s going to be a great place to play. And I’ve always been confident in this organization. Even though I was opting out I always said that doesn’t mean I’m not re-signing with the Nets; and that still remains the same."
New Jersey finished 22-44 and lost its last six games. Williams, 27, averaged 21 points, 8.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds.
“I want to win, that’s first and foremost," the All-Star point guard said on the team's breakup day on Friday, according to the Star-Ledger. “So I’m going to go where I feel we have the best chance to win. I know we might not win a championship in the first year or two, but hopefully, (the place I go) has the chances of building something special, and has flexibility—just somewhere where I believe they’re headed in the right direction."
Williams said he could “definitely" see himself in a Nets uniform next season when the team moves into its new arena in Brooklyn.
“I’m still looking at all the possibilities here,’’ he said. “I went to the arena a couple days ago and saw how it was, and it’s going to be an exciting arena. It’s going to be a great place to play. And I’ve always been confident in this organization. Even though I was opting out I always said that doesn’t mean I’m not re-signing with the Nets; and that still remains the same."
New Jersey finished 22-44 and lost its last six games. Williams, 27, averaged 21 points, 8.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds.
Too old to rock in the NBA playoffs? Not these Spurs
Last year’s NBA playoffs seemed to be such a changing of the guard. Out with the old—very old, the way some of the more veteran contenders went out—and in with the new. The time had come for the Thunder, Heat and Bulls. Time had run out for the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs.
Oh, those Spurs. Wheezing their way out of the 2011 postseason, the No. 1 seed in the West bounced by the No. 8 Grizzlies. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, slow, hobbling, done. And now, a year older.
Those Spurs … your 2012 NBA champions.
Yeah, it’s a little bit of a trendy pick, seeing as how the Spurs have lost two games since mid-March and somehow stretched past the Thunder for home-court in the West. But these Spurs are trendy for a reason, a lot of them, actually.
Not really. Guessing a champion this year is even more of a crapshoot than last year, when absolutely nobody outside of Mark Cuban’s household picked the Mavericks to win it all. As Sean Deveney pointed out, there are a million variables in play this year that usually aren’t, many of them resulting from the lockout, and no team went untouched by them.
It’s not that hard to find ways for Miami, Chicago and Oklahoma City to lose. Yes, for the Spurs, too, if only because of last spring. Yet there are so many signs that these Spurs are not like last year’s.
They’re also not quite like the four previous versions that won NBA titles, the last time five years ago—but they don’t really need to be. Besides, this version looks stronger than the Spurs teams since then, and that counts for a lot more.
The most critical difference: Everybody’s healthy, rested and in rhythm. In past years, when one or more parts of the main trio missed lots of time, the team never clicked well enough without them—and that’s happened each of the previous four seasons. Last season in the series against Memphis, it was Ginobili hurting all series long, and Duncan was shaking off a season’s worth of nicks, bruises and twists.
Not the case this year. Gregg Popovich, along with Boston’s Doc Rivers, did the best jobs imaginable—and the only jobs possible—nursing their aging stars through the compressed season. If not for Tom Thibodeau’s miracles getting Chicago to thrive without Derrick Rose so often, Popovich would be waved through to an easy Coach of the Year win.
The playoffs are what he aimed for—Parker, amazingly, is the only player on the roster to average 30 minutes a game—yet he managed to wring 50 wins out of the group. They’ve won 10 in a row, and shortly before that had won 11 in a row. In the first streak, they won three games in three nights; in their current run, they won three games in three nights on the road.
Credit Parker for much of that. The calls for him to get MVP consideration were legit. The 2007 Finals MVP—still easy to forget that sometimes—played so refreshed that he and his team have no reason to fear the young point guards in his path in the West. Not Russell Westbrook, not Ramon Sessions, not even Chris Paul or one of last year’s tormentors, Mike Conley (both possible opponents in the second round).
Also, credit the kind of depth that might even challenge the title teams of the past. While depth isn’t always as crucial in the playoffs as in the regular season, for this team it can only help, so good thing they have Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair, rookie Kawhi Leonard, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter, Danny Green and late additions Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson.
Also: Good thing they don’t ever have to count on Richard Jefferson again.
And they have Duncan, even at 36, even after playing the fewest minutes per game of his career. (But extend his stats in the big categories out to what his minutes likely will be in the playoffs and … wow.)
You can count on LeBron James, on Kevin Durant, on Derrick Rose … or you can count on the four-time champion and three-time Finals MVP. You sure you know who you’d choose?
Especially in this season, when absolutely nothing is a sure thing? When in doubt, count on what that player, and this team, has done this year, and for a long time.
Out with the old? Back in with the old.
Oh, those Spurs. Wheezing their way out of the 2011 postseason, the No. 1 seed in the West bounced by the No. 8 Grizzlies. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, slow, hobbling, done. And now, a year older.
Those Spurs … your 2012 NBA champions.
Yeah, it’s a little bit of a trendy pick, seeing as how the Spurs have lost two games since mid-March and somehow stretched past the Thunder for home-court in the West. But these Spurs are trendy for a reason, a lot of them, actually.
Not really. Guessing a champion this year is even more of a crapshoot than last year, when absolutely nobody outside of Mark Cuban’s household picked the Mavericks to win it all. As Sean Deveney pointed out, there are a million variables in play this year that usually aren’t, many of them resulting from the lockout, and no team went untouched by them.
It’s not that hard to find ways for Miami, Chicago and Oklahoma City to lose. Yes, for the Spurs, too, if only because of last spring. Yet there are so many signs that these Spurs are not like last year’s.
They’re also not quite like the four previous versions that won NBA titles, the last time five years ago—but they don’t really need to be. Besides, this version looks stronger than the Spurs teams since then, and that counts for a lot more.
The most critical difference: Everybody’s healthy, rested and in rhythm. In past years, when one or more parts of the main trio missed lots of time, the team never clicked well enough without them—and that’s happened each of the previous four seasons. Last season in the series against Memphis, it was Ginobili hurting all series long, and Duncan was shaking off a season’s worth of nicks, bruises and twists.
Not the case this year. Gregg Popovich, along with Boston’s Doc Rivers, did the best jobs imaginable—and the only jobs possible—nursing their aging stars through the compressed season. If not for Tom Thibodeau’s miracles getting Chicago to thrive without Derrick Rose so often, Popovich would be waved through to an easy Coach of the Year win.
The playoffs are what he aimed for—Parker, amazingly, is the only player on the roster to average 30 minutes a game—yet he managed to wring 50 wins out of the group. They’ve won 10 in a row, and shortly before that had won 11 in a row. In the first streak, they won three games in three nights; in their current run, they won three games in three nights on the road.
Credit Parker for much of that. The calls for him to get MVP consideration were legit. The 2007 Finals MVP—still easy to forget that sometimes—played so refreshed that he and his team have no reason to fear the young point guards in his path in the West. Not Russell Westbrook, not Ramon Sessions, not even Chris Paul or one of last year’s tormentors, Mike Conley (both possible opponents in the second round).
Also, credit the kind of depth that might even challenge the title teams of the past. While depth isn’t always as crucial in the playoffs as in the regular season, for this team it can only help, so good thing they have Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair, rookie Kawhi Leonard, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter, Danny Green and late additions Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson.
Also: Good thing they don’t ever have to count on Richard Jefferson again.
And they have Duncan, even at 36, even after playing the fewest minutes per game of his career. (But extend his stats in the big categories out to what his minutes likely will be in the playoffs and … wow.)
You can count on LeBron James, on Kevin Durant, on Derrick Rose … or you can count on the four-time champion and three-time Finals MVP. You sure you know who you’d choose?
Especially in this season, when absolutely nothing is a sure thing? When in doubt, count on what that player, and this team, has done this year, and for a long time.
Out with the old? Back in with the old.
4.27.2012
NBA playoff predictions: Heat lead an unpredictable field
It was, obviously, an unusual year in the NBA, what with a lockout-shortened 66-game season creating more of a grind for players and coaches, and the standings perhaps not quite reflecting how good or bad some of the team’s in this year’s postseason could be. As the first games tip off, there is more of a sense of unpredictability in these playoffs.
“I think the playoffs are wide open,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Obviously, there’s the favorites out there, and they’ve earned that right, but I don’t think … everybody else, all of them have confidence, too. Everybody, I think every single team thinks they have a shot this year. I think if it had been 82 games, it would have been the same. This is one of those years that the favorites are the favorites, they deserve to be the favorites. But the underdogs, they’re confident.”
Put the records and the seedings aside, coming into the postseason, here’s how the teams involved stack up:
1. Miami Heat. Considering the way they started the seaspm, the Heat’s 46 wins are a bit disappointing. But they’ve shown that, when they’re dialed in, they can be ferocious defensively and efficient offensively.
2. Chicago Bulls. Point guard Derrick Rose, oft-injured and frequently the recipient of hard fouls, will be a key to this postseason. If Chicago is to get to the Finals, he simply must play better than he did in last year’s playoffs, and withstand physical play.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden give Oklahoma City potent perimeter scoring. But eventually, they’ll need something—anything—out of their big guys on the offensive end.
4. San Antonio Spurs. They’re healthy and still smarting from the first-round disappointment they suffered last year. The Spurs might not have enough for another title run, but they should make it to the Final Four.
5. L.A. Lakers. Dealing with Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace, coach Mike Brown will have to be part-time psychiatrist to nudge the Lakers into a substantial playoff run, but they loom as a second-round threat to the Thunder.
6. Memphis Grizzlies. If the West is to be wide open, Memphis might be the team to take advantage. They have youth and size on their side, they have a healthy Rudy Gay and they gained important playoff experience last year.
7. Boston Celtics. They were 24-10 in the second half of the year, and if they can get by the Hawks in the first round, they’re in a similar situation as the Lakers—they could be a very tough out for Chicago in Round 2.
8. L.A. Clippers. The matchup with the Grizzlies is about as bad a pairing as the Clippers could have drawn. Frontcourt depth has been a problem all year, and having Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin behind DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin isn’t much of a solution.
9. Indiana Pacers. The Pacers closed with a 17-6 mark, thanks in large part to the improved play of Danny Granger. He figures to be the key player in whatever sort of run the Pacers can make as the No. 3 seed.
10. New York Knicks. They’re 18-6 under Mike Woodson, with small forward Carmelo Anthony leading the way. That means this is not your average No. 7 seed, and it’s certain that the Heat have taken notice of that.
11. Atlanta Hawks. Josh Smith at center? The Hawks are already without Al Horford, and could be without Zaza Pachulia, too. Coach Larry Drew can be creative with his lineups, so expect to see some interesting combinations in the Hawks’ series against Boston.
12. Dallas Mavericks. The defending champs angled themselves into a matchup with the Thunder, the team they took out in the conference finals last year. The Mavs probably have too much talent to be a No. 7 seed, but they’ve been a disappointment all season.
13. Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets closed on an 11-4 run, but just three of those wins were against playoff teams—they beat the Thunder in the final week and Orlando twice without Dwight Howard.
14. Utah Jazz. The Jazz have enough size, with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, to give San Antonio some trouble. But they don’t have a whole lot of experience.
15. Philadelphia 76ers. Give some credit to the Sixers, who put together a late four-game road winning streak (albeit against bad teams) to rescue their spot in the postseason.
16. Orlando Magic. Without Howard, they fizzled to close the year. Their 3-point shooting might be the only thing that gives them a chance to win a game or two.
Predictions
Wide-open? Maybe. Heck, it’s not that hard to imagine a Knicks-Lakers meeting in the Finals. Or Celtics-Grizzlies. But before the season got underway, the best guess was Oklahoma City coming out of the West and Miami in the East. Let’s stick with it.
East first round
1. Bulls over 8. Sixers, 4-1
2. Heat over 7. Knicks, 4-1
3. Pacers over 6. Magic, 4-1
4. Celtics over 5. Hawks, 4-2
East semis
Bulls over Celtics, 4-3
Heat over Pacers, 4-2
East finalsHeat over Bulls, 4-2
West first round
1. Spurs over 8. Jazz, 4-1
2. Thunder over 7. Mavericks, 4-3
3. Lakers over 6. Nuggets, 4-2
4. Grizzlies over 5. Clippers, 4-2
West semis
Spurs over Grizzlies, 4-2
Thunder over Lakers, 4-3
West finals
Thunder over Spurs, 4-2
NBA Finals
Heat over Thunder, 4-1
“I think the playoffs are wide open,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Obviously, there’s the favorites out there, and they’ve earned that right, but I don’t think … everybody else, all of them have confidence, too. Everybody, I think every single team thinks they have a shot this year. I think if it had been 82 games, it would have been the same. This is one of those years that the favorites are the favorites, they deserve to be the favorites. But the underdogs, they’re confident.”
Put the records and the seedings aside, coming into the postseason, here’s how the teams involved stack up:
1. Miami Heat. Considering the way they started the seaspm, the Heat’s 46 wins are a bit disappointing. But they’ve shown that, when they’re dialed in, they can be ferocious defensively and efficient offensively.
2. Chicago Bulls. Point guard Derrick Rose, oft-injured and frequently the recipient of hard fouls, will be a key to this postseason. If Chicago is to get to the Finals, he simply must play better than he did in last year’s playoffs, and withstand physical play.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden give Oklahoma City potent perimeter scoring. But eventually, they’ll need something—anything—out of their big guys on the offensive end.
4. San Antonio Spurs. They’re healthy and still smarting from the first-round disappointment they suffered last year. The Spurs might not have enough for another title run, but they should make it to the Final Four.
5. L.A. Lakers. Dealing with Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace, coach Mike Brown will have to be part-time psychiatrist to nudge the Lakers into a substantial playoff run, but they loom as a second-round threat to the Thunder.
6. Memphis Grizzlies. If the West is to be wide open, Memphis might be the team to take advantage. They have youth and size on their side, they have a healthy Rudy Gay and they gained important playoff experience last year.
7. Boston Celtics. They were 24-10 in the second half of the year, and if they can get by the Hawks in the first round, they’re in a similar situation as the Lakers—they could be a very tough out for Chicago in Round 2.
8. L.A. Clippers. The matchup with the Grizzlies is about as bad a pairing as the Clippers could have drawn. Frontcourt depth has been a problem all year, and having Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin behind DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin isn’t much of a solution.
9. Indiana Pacers. The Pacers closed with a 17-6 mark, thanks in large part to the improved play of Danny Granger. He figures to be the key player in whatever sort of run the Pacers can make as the No. 3 seed.
10. New York Knicks. They’re 18-6 under Mike Woodson, with small forward Carmelo Anthony leading the way. That means this is not your average No. 7 seed, and it’s certain that the Heat have taken notice of that.
11. Atlanta Hawks. Josh Smith at center? The Hawks are already without Al Horford, and could be without Zaza Pachulia, too. Coach Larry Drew can be creative with his lineups, so expect to see some interesting combinations in the Hawks’ series against Boston.
12. Dallas Mavericks. The defending champs angled themselves into a matchup with the Thunder, the team they took out in the conference finals last year. The Mavs probably have too much talent to be a No. 7 seed, but they’ve been a disappointment all season.
13. Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets closed on an 11-4 run, but just three of those wins were against playoff teams—they beat the Thunder in the final week and Orlando twice without Dwight Howard.
14. Utah Jazz. The Jazz have enough size, with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, to give San Antonio some trouble. But they don’t have a whole lot of experience.
15. Philadelphia 76ers. Give some credit to the Sixers, who put together a late four-game road winning streak (albeit against bad teams) to rescue their spot in the postseason.
16. Orlando Magic. Without Howard, they fizzled to close the year. Their 3-point shooting might be the only thing that gives them a chance to win a game or two.
Predictions
Wide-open? Maybe. Heck, it’s not that hard to imagine a Knicks-Lakers meeting in the Finals. Or Celtics-Grizzlies. But before the season got underway, the best guess was Oklahoma City coming out of the West and Miami in the East. Let’s stick with it.
East first round
1. Bulls over 8. Sixers, 4-1
2. Heat over 7. Knicks, 4-1
3. Pacers over 6. Magic, 4-1
4. Celtics over 5. Hawks, 4-2
East semis
Bulls over Celtics, 4-3
Heat over Pacers, 4-2
East finalsHeat over Bulls, 4-2
West first round
1. Spurs over 8. Jazz, 4-1
2. Thunder over 7. Mavericks, 4-3
3. Lakers over 6. Nuggets, 4-2
4. Grizzlies over 5. Clippers, 4-2
West semis
Spurs over Grizzlies, 4-2
Thunder over Lakers, 4-3
West finals
Thunder over Spurs, 4-2
NBA Finals
Heat over Thunder, 4-1
Western Conference playoff preview: Mavericks present threat to favored Thunder
The defending champs almost missed the playoffs. The top seed this year was the top seed last year, but is hoping to avoid the same fate of getting knocked out in the first round. The expected favorite stumbled down the stretch, and the wily veteran darkhorse will be without a starter for six games. The West playoffs—with the Dallas Mavericks at No. 7, the San Antonio Spurs No. 1 again, the Oklahoma City Thunder finishing 7-7 in their last 14, and the Lakers playing without the suspended Metta World Peace—figure to be a wide-open proposition this year.
Upset alert: Mavericks over Thunder
Oklahoma City has championship aspirations, but before they can get there, they’ve got to exorcise the demon that has haunted them since last spring—Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, who displayed individual brilliance, averaging 32.2 points and twice topping the 40-point mark, in carrying the Mavericks past the Thunder in five games in last year’s conference finals. Dallas is limping into the postseason, but there is still enough talent on hand to give the Thunder a good first-round run.
Sweep alert: Spurs over Jazz
Utah does have a few things going for it that could help the Jazz avoid a sweep—they have a very deep frontcourt, they are an excellent homecourt team and, after all, the Spurs were knocked out by a No. 8 seed last year. But San Antonio is healthy and rested this time around, not to mention a little bitter about how last season ended.
Coach under pressure: Vinny Del Negro, Clippers
It’s not that Del Negro has done a terrible job with the Clippers—they did enter the final week with a chance to win the Pacific Division crown. But Del Negro’s contract is up at the end of this year and the team’s front office doesn’t seem to have much confidence that he is the guy to take this team to a championship. It will likely take a trip to the conference finals for the Clippers to keep VDN on board.
Stars to watch
Russell Westbrook, Thunder. Westbrook took some heavy criticism for shooting too much in last year’s postseason. The criticism probably went a bit overboard, but the numbers show that Westbrook was too much of a gunner—though he averaged 23.8 points, he shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 29.2 percent on 3-pointers.
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies. Last year was bittersweet for Gay. He got his first taste of the postseason, watching his Grizzlies upset the Spurs in the first round and take OKC to a Game 7 in the conference semis. The problem was, Gay had a shoulder injury and did not participate. He was his usual self this season, and with power forward Zach Randolph slow to return to form after knee surgery, look for Gay to be a big scorer in the playoffs.
Blake Griffin, Clippers. The Clippers have been too dependent on point guard Chris Paul this season, especially after the team lost guard Chauncey Billups to an Achilles injury. That won’t change in the playoffs, but L.A. needs to get a big series out of Griffin in order to get past Memphis.
Andrew Bynum, Lakers. The Nuggets will throw Kosta Koufos, JaVale McGee and Timofey Mozgov at Bynum, and those three should stand no chance of slowing Bynum. But they will try to get under Bynum’s skin with repeated fouls, and he will need to resist frustration and keep his focus.
Players you may not know but will
Gordon Hayward, Jazz. College hoops fans, of course, remember Hayward from his Butler days. But he is becoming an increasingly effective NBA player as the year has gone on. He did not play much in the Jazz finale, but before that, in 12 April games, Hayward averaged 17.2 points on 51.1 percent shooting and 50 percent from the 3-point line.
Devin Ebanks, Lakers. Ebanks is in his second year, and his scoring average (3.6 points) won’t garner much attention. But he has been solid when thrust into the starting lineup, and that is where he will be with small forward Metta World Peace suspended for six postseason games.
Danny Green, Spurs. Green is a classic Spurs role player, overlooked elsewhere but emerging as a productive shooting guard in the team’s starting five. He is obviously not a top option for San Antonio, but he can fill the scoring gap when he needs to—he topped 20 points four times this season.
Can’t miss matchup: Al Jefferson vs. Tim Duncan
Jefferson (19.4 points, 9.7 rebounds) quietly had one of the best seasons of his career. Duncan, even at 36, is still a very effective big man, with averages of 15.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in 28.2 minutes. Jefferson has posted good numbers in his career against Duncan, but according to Basketball-reference.com, Jefferson has a career record of 1-21 against Duncan.
Outlook
No. 1 Spurs over No. 8 Jazz, 4-1
No. 2 Thunder over No. 7 Mavericks, 4-3
No. 3 Lakers over No. 6 Nuggets, 4-2
No. 4 Grizzlies over No. 5 Clippers, 4-2
Upset alert: Mavericks over Thunder
Oklahoma City has championship aspirations, but before they can get there, they’ve got to exorcise the demon that has haunted them since last spring—Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, who displayed individual brilliance, averaging 32.2 points and twice topping the 40-point mark, in carrying the Mavericks past the Thunder in five games in last year’s conference finals. Dallas is limping into the postseason, but there is still enough talent on hand to give the Thunder a good first-round run.
Sweep alert: Spurs over Jazz
Utah does have a few things going for it that could help the Jazz avoid a sweep—they have a very deep frontcourt, they are an excellent homecourt team and, after all, the Spurs were knocked out by a No. 8 seed last year. But San Antonio is healthy and rested this time around, not to mention a little bitter about how last season ended.
Coach under pressure: Vinny Del Negro, Clippers
It’s not that Del Negro has done a terrible job with the Clippers—they did enter the final week with a chance to win the Pacific Division crown. But Del Negro’s contract is up at the end of this year and the team’s front office doesn’t seem to have much confidence that he is the guy to take this team to a championship. It will likely take a trip to the conference finals for the Clippers to keep VDN on board.
Stars to watch
Russell Westbrook, Thunder. Westbrook took some heavy criticism for shooting too much in last year’s postseason. The criticism probably went a bit overboard, but the numbers show that Westbrook was too much of a gunner—though he averaged 23.8 points, he shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 29.2 percent on 3-pointers.
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies. Last year was bittersweet for Gay. He got his first taste of the postseason, watching his Grizzlies upset the Spurs in the first round and take OKC to a Game 7 in the conference semis. The problem was, Gay had a shoulder injury and did not participate. He was his usual self this season, and with power forward Zach Randolph slow to return to form after knee surgery, look for Gay to be a big scorer in the playoffs.
Blake Griffin, Clippers. The Clippers have been too dependent on point guard Chris Paul this season, especially after the team lost guard Chauncey Billups to an Achilles injury. That won’t change in the playoffs, but L.A. needs to get a big series out of Griffin in order to get past Memphis.
Andrew Bynum, Lakers. The Nuggets will throw Kosta Koufos, JaVale McGee and Timofey Mozgov at Bynum, and those three should stand no chance of slowing Bynum. But they will try to get under Bynum’s skin with repeated fouls, and he will need to resist frustration and keep his focus.
Players you may not know but will
Gordon Hayward, Jazz. College hoops fans, of course, remember Hayward from his Butler days. But he is becoming an increasingly effective NBA player as the year has gone on. He did not play much in the Jazz finale, but before that, in 12 April games, Hayward averaged 17.2 points on 51.1 percent shooting and 50 percent from the 3-point line.
Devin Ebanks, Lakers. Ebanks is in his second year, and his scoring average (3.6 points) won’t garner much attention. But he has been solid when thrust into the starting lineup, and that is where he will be with small forward Metta World Peace suspended for six postseason games.
Danny Green, Spurs. Green is a classic Spurs role player, overlooked elsewhere but emerging as a productive shooting guard in the team’s starting five. He is obviously not a top option for San Antonio, but he can fill the scoring gap when he needs to—he topped 20 points four times this season.
Can’t miss matchup: Al Jefferson vs. Tim Duncan
Jefferson (19.4 points, 9.7 rebounds) quietly had one of the best seasons of his career. Duncan, even at 36, is still a very effective big man, with averages of 15.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in 28.2 minutes. Jefferson has posted good numbers in his career against Duncan, but according to Basketball-reference.com, Jefferson has a career record of 1-21 against Duncan.
Outlook
No. 1 Spurs over No. 8 Jazz, 4-1
No. 2 Thunder over No. 7 Mavericks, 4-3
No. 3 Lakers over No. 6 Nuggets, 4-2
No. 4 Grizzlies over No. 5 Clippers, 4-2
Jeremy Lin feeling ‘great’ on knee, targets second-round return
Jeremy Lin is on course to return to action for the second round of the NBA playoffs, should the New York Knicks get past their first-round opponent.
The Knicks are matched up against the Heat, so they are a huge underdog to do that.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is counting on Lin to be back by round two, TNT’s Marty Snider noted during the Knicks-Bobcats broadcast Thursday night, and when asked if that’s his plan, too, Lin told Snider, “Absolutely, that’s my plan to be back in round two.”
Lin practiced with the team on Wednesday, and Snider reported that he spent about 40 minutes shooting by himself on the court at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte before Thursday’s game. Lin can run and shoot on his surgically repaired knee, but can’t cut on it, according to Snider.
“It felt great, I’m working back slowly, but it really felt good today,” Lin said, per Snider. “(But) I don’t want to push it too much.”
The Knicks are matched up against the Heat, so they are a huge underdog to do that.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is counting on Lin to be back by round two, TNT’s Marty Snider noted during the Knicks-Bobcats broadcast Thursday night, and when asked if that’s his plan, too, Lin told Snider, “Absolutely, that’s my plan to be back in round two.”
Lin practiced with the team on Wednesday, and Snider reported that he spent about 40 minutes shooting by himself on the court at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte before Thursday’s game. Lin can run and shoot on his surgically repaired knee, but can’t cut on it, according to Snider.
“It felt great, I’m working back slowly, but it really felt good today,” Lin said, per Snider. “(But) I don’t want to push it too much.”
4.26.2012
Has Steve Nash played his final game for the Phoenix Suns?
Steve Nash’s contract with the Phoenix Suns is expiring, so questions about whether this was his last season with the team are naturally being asked.
Nash has maintained that he wants to see the Suns’ roster improved before he re-signs with the team, and he reiterated that stance Wednesday night, after the team’s final game of the season, a 110-106 loss in Phoenix to the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite the Suns being eliminated from playoff contention the previous night by losing to the Utah Jazz, a crowd of 17,172 turned out for the meaningless game against the Spurs, largely to watch Nash in what may have been his last game with the team, the Arizona Republic reports, and chants of "We want Steve" broke out in US Airways Center.
"It was obviously amazing to get that type of reception and support," Nash said, per the Republic. "It's very special because it's not something I asked for or imagined. To get that kind of reaction means it's authentic, the relationship I thought we had. It really feels special. The fans have been phenomenal and it's meant a lot to me to play in a city like this as long as I have and to feel important to the fans and community. I just feel like a very lucky guy."
Nash said he has "no clue" about where he’ll play next season, but added, "I think the team could use more playmakers. It depends on your strategy. You could go for bigs. You could go for consistent 20-a-game scorer. Or you could go for a few more playmakers at different positions. The team and the club need to really analyze what their philosophy is moving forward and put a contingency plan together to build the best team. It'll be an interesting period."
In other words, Nash is clearly leaving open the possibility of moving on. He’s 38 and has been in the league for 16 years, and while he scored just 12.5 points per game—his lowest average since the 1999-2000 season—he shot a career-best 53.2 percent from the field and dished out an NBA second-best 10.7 assists per game. So there will be plenty of teams interested in bringing aboard the veteran point guard.
Nash has maintained that he wants to see the Suns’ roster improved before he re-signs with the team, and he reiterated that stance Wednesday night, after the team’s final game of the season, a 110-106 loss in Phoenix to the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite the Suns being eliminated from playoff contention the previous night by losing to the Utah Jazz, a crowd of 17,172 turned out for the meaningless game against the Spurs, largely to watch Nash in what may have been his last game with the team, the Arizona Republic reports, and chants of "We want Steve" broke out in US Airways Center.
"It was obviously amazing to get that type of reception and support," Nash said, per the Republic. "It's very special because it's not something I asked for or imagined. To get that kind of reaction means it's authentic, the relationship I thought we had. It really feels special. The fans have been phenomenal and it's meant a lot to me to play in a city like this as long as I have and to feel important to the fans and community. I just feel like a very lucky guy."
Nash said he has "no clue" about where he’ll play next season, but added, "I think the team could use more playmakers. It depends on your strategy. You could go for bigs. You could go for consistent 20-a-game scorer. Or you could go for a few more playmakers at different positions. The team and the club need to really analyze what their philosophy is moving forward and put a contingency plan together to build the best team. It'll be an interesting period."
In other words, Nash is clearly leaving open the possibility of moving on. He’s 38 and has been in the league for 16 years, and while he scored just 12.5 points per game—his lowest average since the 1999-2000 season—he shot a career-best 53.2 percent from the field and dished out an NBA second-best 10.7 assists per game. So there will be plenty of teams interested in bringing aboard the veteran point guard.
Derrick Rose, Jeremy Lin top NBA's jersey sales
NEW YORK -- Move over, Kobe and LeBron: Only Derrick Rose could top Linsanity when it came to jersey sales over the past year.
The league's reigning MVP has the top-selling jersey at the NBA Store and nbastore.com since April 2011, the NBA said Thursday. Knicks guard Jeremy Lin was No. 2, despite his merchandise not even being available until his stunning breakthrough in February.
Bryant was third and James fourth, unusually low spots for two of the NBA's biggest superstars. Bryant had been No. 1 six times and James twice since 2001.
Carmelo Anthony rounded out the top five, helping the Knicks finish second in team merchandise sales. The Bulls were No. 1 for the first time since April 2001.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys:
1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
2. Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks*
3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
4. LeBron James, Miami Heat
5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
6. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
7. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks*
8. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
9. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
10. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
11. Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks
12. Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
13. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
14. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
15. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers*
The league's reigning MVP has the top-selling jersey at the NBA Store and nbastore.com since April 2011, the NBA said Thursday. Knicks guard Jeremy Lin was No. 2, despite his merchandise not even being available until his stunning breakthrough in February.
Bryant was third and James fourth, unusually low spots for two of the NBA's biggest superstars. Bryant had been No. 1 six times and James twice since 2001.
Carmelo Anthony rounded out the top five, helping the Knicks finish second in team merchandise sales. The Bulls were No. 1 for the first time since April 2001.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys:
1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
2. Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks*
3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
4. LeBron James, Miami Heat
5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
6. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
7. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks*
8. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
9. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
10. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
11. Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks
12. Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
13. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
14. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
15. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers*
4.24.2012
Peace out: World Peace can't outrun the Artest rap sheet
It was a scary moment, watching the burly biceps of Lakers forward Metta World Peace come down, hard, on the back of James Harden’s head, leaving Harden down on the count, with a concussion. For all the time he has spent in the last few years attempting to remake his image, the league’s suspension showed that a flowery name change can’t cover up one’s past misdeeds.
Today, World Peace learned his punishment—his suspension will run seven games. That’s more severe than the five games that seemed possible at minimum, but not nearly as harsh as some of the calls that would have sent him out for the entire postseason. If it had been anyone but MWP tossing that elbow, the suspension probably would have been three games, maybe four. But the league office is all too aware of what Ron Artest has done in the past, no matter what he calls himself now.
“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”
Today, World Peace learned his punishment—his suspension will run seven games. That’s more severe than the five games that seemed possible at minimum, but not nearly as harsh as some of the calls that would have sent him out for the entire postseason. If it had been anyone but MWP tossing that elbow, the suspension probably would have been three games, maybe four. But the league office is all too aware of what Ron Artest has done in the past, no matter what he calls himself now.
“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”
Down stretch, teams eschew home court for rest
BOSTON—It was, at halftime, 34-28, Miami. The Celtics were shooting 31.4 percent from the field, and the Heat were only slightly better, 40.5 percent. Boston had gone with a starting lineup that featured Sasha Pavlovic and Ryan Hollins in place of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. The Heat were without Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, with Mike Miller, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem in their place.
Bear in mind, this was not a throwaway game for either team. For the Celtics, slated to play the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs starting this weekend, home-court advantage was at stake. For the Heat, a chance to stay in the chase for the No. 1 seed in the East was in play—which would mean home court in a potential conference final showdown against Chicago. In the end, the Celtics won, 78-66, meaning they will continue jockeying with the Hawks for playoff position this week, while the Heat will have to settle for second in the East.
But the game serves to highlight what has become a bit of an embarrassing problem for the league lately—teams with sewn-up playoff spots are simply not taking the fight for seeding all that seriously, choosing to focus on rest rather than on moving up in the standings or securing home-court advantage.
Bear in mind, this was not a throwaway game for either team. For the Celtics, slated to play the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs starting this weekend, home-court advantage was at stake. For the Heat, a chance to stay in the chase for the No. 1 seed in the East was in play—which would mean home court in a potential conference final showdown against Chicago. In the end, the Celtics won, 78-66, meaning they will continue jockeying with the Hawks for playoff position this week, while the Heat will have to settle for second in the East.
But the game serves to highlight what has become a bit of an embarrassing problem for the league lately—teams with sewn-up playoff spots are simply not taking the fight for seeding all that seriously, choosing to focus on rest rather than on moving up in the standings or securing home-court advantage.
Celtics unsure about Allen's return from ankle injury
BOSTON—It was no surprise, before the Celtics tipped off against the Heat at TD Garden, that they would be without Ray Allen.
In fact, it’s getting to the point where the Celtics are expecting Allen not to play, rather than to return to the lineup.
On Tuesday morning, Allen said that MRI scans of his troublesome right ankle, which has now kept him out of 14 games for Boston, showed that he has bone spurs. Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed concern about the slowness with which the ankle has healed. In the meantime, Rivers said, nothing new had been uncovered about the ankle.
“It’s the same,” Rivers said. “We don’t know anything. It’s a concern, like I said, but other than that, we just have to wait and see.”
After Allen returned from his ankle injury the first time, in early April, the Celtics hoped to incorporate him into the rotation off the bench, a new role for Allen, because Avery Bradley had played well in the starting five. Allen, shooting 45.3 percent on 3-pointers, played four games as sixth man before the ankle became too painful to play on again.
The Celtics have one more game on the docket before the playoffs start this weekend, on Thursday against Milwaukee. There is a chance that the Celtics could be playing for home-court advantage in the first round in that one, and Rivers said he expects to have many of his injured players—Kevin Garnett (hip flexor), Rajon Rondo (back), Greg Stiemsma (foot) and Mickael Pietrus (knee) all sat out against Miami—back on the floor for that one. But Allen is unlikely.
“We’d play them because they will be rested,” Rivers said. “Except for if a guy is injured, he’s injured. Ray couldn’t play in that game. I am hoping (Pietrus) will be able to play. Rondo should be able to play. But they’re all should and woulds, but there’s no definites. That’s just the way it is right now.”
In fact, it’s getting to the point where the Celtics are expecting Allen not to play, rather than to return to the lineup.
On Tuesday morning, Allen said that MRI scans of his troublesome right ankle, which has now kept him out of 14 games for Boston, showed that he has bone spurs. Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed concern about the slowness with which the ankle has healed. In the meantime, Rivers said, nothing new had been uncovered about the ankle.
“It’s the same,” Rivers said. “We don’t know anything. It’s a concern, like I said, but other than that, we just have to wait and see.”
After Allen returned from his ankle injury the first time, in early April, the Celtics hoped to incorporate him into the rotation off the bench, a new role for Allen, because Avery Bradley had played well in the starting five. Allen, shooting 45.3 percent on 3-pointers, played four games as sixth man before the ankle became too painful to play on again.
The Celtics have one more game on the docket before the playoffs start this weekend, on Thursday against Milwaukee. There is a chance that the Celtics could be playing for home-court advantage in the first round in that one, and Rivers said he expects to have many of his injured players—Kevin Garnett (hip flexor), Rajon Rondo (back), Greg Stiemsma (foot) and Mickael Pietrus (knee) all sat out against Miami—back on the floor for that one. But Allen is unlikely.
“We’d play them because they will be rested,” Rivers said. “Except for if a guy is injured, he’s injured. Ray couldn’t play in that game. I am hoping (Pietrus) will be able to play. Rondo should be able to play. But they’re all should and woulds, but there’s no definites. That’s just the way it is right now.”
Knicks remove GM Glen Grunwald's interim tag; is Mike Woodson next?
The New York Knicks have promoted Glen Grunwald to executive vice president and general manager after he assembled numerous pieces of a playoff roster this season.
Grunwald has been serving on an interim basis since July, after Donnie Walsh opted not to return. He acquired center Tyson Chandler before the season to become the defensive presence the team long lacked, and signed key players such as Jeremy Lin, Baron Davis, Steve Novak and JR Smith along the way.
The Knicks went into Tuesday still with hopes of finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference, despite a tumultuous season that saw coach Mike D'Antoni resign in March.
Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan says in a statement the Knicks look forward to Grunwald continuing in his role "for many years to come."
The move to remove the interim tag from Grunwald’s titles may portend the organization’s decision to name Mike Woodson the team’s permanent head coach, Newsday's Al Iannazzone suggests. Woodson was named interim coach when upon D'Antoni's departure.
Star forward Carmelo Anthony “endorsed Woodson today and Grunwald and Woodson were college teammates” at Indiana, Iannazzone tweets.
Grunwald has been serving on an interim basis since July, after Donnie Walsh opted not to return. He acquired center Tyson Chandler before the season to become the defensive presence the team long lacked, and signed key players such as Jeremy Lin, Baron Davis, Steve Novak and JR Smith along the way.
The Knicks went into Tuesday still with hopes of finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference, despite a tumultuous season that saw coach Mike D'Antoni resign in March.
Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan says in a statement the Knicks look forward to Grunwald continuing in his role "for many years to come."
The move to remove the interim tag from Grunwald’s titles may portend the organization’s decision to name Mike Woodson the team’s permanent head coach, Newsday's Al Iannazzone suggests. Woodson was named interim coach when upon D'Antoni's departure.
Star forward Carmelo Anthony “endorsed Woodson today and Grunwald and Woodson were college teammates” at Indiana, Iannazzone tweets.
SBD: ABC sets its NBA audience record for second straight season
ABC averaged a 3.3 Nielsen rating and 5.4 million viewers for its 15 NBA games this season, marking the network’s best regular-season averages since ESPN/ABC acquired TV rights prior to the 2002-03 season. A 3.3 rating means that an average of 3.3 percent of homes with at least one television tuned in for NBA games on ABC.
The figures also mark the best NBA averages for any broadcast network since NBC during the 1998-99 season, which was also shortened by a labor dispute.
Compared to last season’s record-breaking figures, ABC is up 10 percent in rating and 6 percent in viewership. ABC is also up 43 percent and 47 percent, respectively, from the 2009-10 season.
The figures also mark the best NBA averages for any broadcast network since NBC during the 1998-99 season, which was also shortened by a labor dispute.
Compared to last season’s record-breaking figures, ABC is up 10 percent in rating and 6 percent in viewership. ABC is also up 43 percent and 47 percent, respectively, from the 2009-10 season.
Nepotism in union may explain Fisher’s call for external audit
National Basketball Players Association president Derek Fisher asked that the union have an external audit performed on its business practices, and now Bloomberg News sheds some light as to why he may have made that request: since 2001, the NBPA paid almost $4.8 million to executive director Billy Hunter’s family members and their professional firms.
Fisher’s call for an outside audit did not go over well with Hunter. He called for Fisher’s resignation and summoned the unanimous support of the eight-member executive committee.
As detailed by Bloomberg, here are Hunter’s family’s financial connections to the union: his daughter and daughter-in-law are on union staff; another daughter is special counsel at a law firm used by the PA; and Hunter’s son is a principal at a financial firm that was paid $45,526 a month for work performed for the union.
NBPA spokesperson Dan Wasserman told Bloomberg that the union is aware of all of this but said Hunter was not available for comment.
“It’s not a criminal act, but it’s not something I would do,” Marvin Miller, the famous former head of the baseball players union, said.
Robert Barbato, a business ethics professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, said in light of the nepotism, he understands Fisher’s concerns.
“The involvement of so many family members who are receiving significant economic benefits raises enough of an ethical concern that an independent review seems required,” Barbato told Bloomberg in an e-mail. “Unless there is a reasonable explanation for calling for his resignation, I’m especially concerned that the executive committee has tried to silence Derek Fisher.”
Jerome Williams, a former NBA player and executive board member, believes that an outside examination is warranted.
“It’s a fine line because of how many players are represented and the amount of money that’s influenced by one person,” Williams told Bloomberg. “As a former vice president, I would have to advise the group that it would be wise to diversify.”
Fisher’s call for an outside audit did not go over well with Hunter. He called for Fisher’s resignation and summoned the unanimous support of the eight-member executive committee.
As detailed by Bloomberg, here are Hunter’s family’s financial connections to the union: his daughter and daughter-in-law are on union staff; another daughter is special counsel at a law firm used by the PA; and Hunter’s son is a principal at a financial firm that was paid $45,526 a month for work performed for the union.
NBPA spokesperson Dan Wasserman told Bloomberg that the union is aware of all of this but said Hunter was not available for comment.
“It’s not a criminal act, but it’s not something I would do,” Marvin Miller, the famous former head of the baseball players union, said.
Robert Barbato, a business ethics professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, said in light of the nepotism, he understands Fisher’s concerns.
“The involvement of so many family members who are receiving significant economic benefits raises enough of an ethical concern that an independent review seems required,” Barbato told Bloomberg in an e-mail. “Unless there is a reasonable explanation for calling for his resignation, I’m especially concerned that the executive committee has tried to silence Derek Fisher.”
Jerome Williams, a former NBA player and executive board member, believes that an outside examination is warranted.
“It’s a fine line because of how many players are represented and the amount of money that’s influenced by one person,” Williams told Bloomberg. “As a former vice president, I would have to advise the group that it would be wise to diversify.”
Al Horford reverses course, says he’ll be back for Hawks
After telling Yahoo! Sports that it was unrealistic for him to be back for the playoffs, Hawks center Al Horford told the site that he will play limited minutes—about 15 minutes per game—beginning with Atlanta’s final regular-season game, Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.
A doctor told Horford, who’s been out since Jan. 11 with a torn pectoral, that the weakness in the muscle he’s feeling is normal.
Horford told Yahoo! that the doctor who performed surgery on him, Xavier Duralde, “gave me the OK. I'm feeling pretty good about it now. He just said, 'You're going to be limited. That's all. You can go out there and play limited time.' That's kind of why I'm back in there. ... "
The Hawks will play the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
"It remains to be seen what I can bring," Horford added. "But I hope to bring some scoring. They can't expect a lot from me defensively because it's been a while since I've even played. That's one of the things that will hold me back, but scoring I can help. And also with presence with the team in general.”
Horford also said he expects to play for his native Dominican Republic at the FIBA World Olympic qualifying tournament from July 2-8 in Venezuela, Spears reports.
A doctor told Horford, who’s been out since Jan. 11 with a torn pectoral, that the weakness in the muscle he’s feeling is normal.
Horford told Yahoo! that the doctor who performed surgery on him, Xavier Duralde, “gave me the OK. I'm feeling pretty good about it now. He just said, 'You're going to be limited. That's all. You can go out there and play limited time.' That's kind of why I'm back in there. ... "
The Hawks will play the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
"It remains to be seen what I can bring," Horford added. "But I hope to bring some scoring. They can't expect a lot from me defensively because it's been a while since I've even played. That's one of the things that will hold me back, but scoring I can help. And also with presence with the team in general.”
Horford also said he expects to play for his native Dominican Republic at the FIBA World Olympic qualifying tournament from July 2-8 in Venezuela, Spears reports.
Baylor freshman Quincy Miller changes mind, headed to NBA Draft
It seemed inevitable when the NCAA moved up its deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft -- from mid-June to early May and then finally to just eight days after the Final Four -- that some basketball player would ignore that date and declare when he saw fit.
It seemed unlikely the player who’d do that, though, would be forward Quincy Miller.
Which means sticking it to Baylor.
Miller told Yahoo! Sports NBA writer Marc Spears he is leaving Baylor and signing with an agent, ending his college career after just one year. Miller made his announcement in a press conference on April 10 -- that NCAA deadline we talked about -- that he would return to the Bears as a sophomore. The NBA allows players to place their name on the early entry list until this Sunday.
At 6-9, 210 pounds, Miller is long and agile, but he proved to be far from a finished product as a college freshman. He averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game, struggling as a defender and with his jumpshot. He had only one double-figure scoring game in the NCAA Tournament, getting 10 points in the Bears’ first game, against South Dakota State. He was overwhelmed in the Elite Eight against eventual national champion Kentucky, shooting 1-of-6 from the field for three points in 19 minutes.
Miller had entered Baylor as Scout.com’s No. 4-ranked prospect, but he was coming off a knee injury that kept him from competition during most of his senior year in high school and appeared to need more time to regain his confidence.
Draft analysts rank Miller as a potential first-round pick -- Draft Express lists him as the 18th best NBA prospect. Baylor now loses four of its top six scorers from last season’s 30-win team.
Baylor had kept star forward Perry Jones for a second season after Jones determined he was not physically or mentally prepared for NBA-level competition. The school's run of recent athletic success also includes the Heisman Trophy won by quarterback Robert Griffin, who will become the No. 2 player selected in Thursday's NFL Draft.
It seemed unlikely the player who’d do that, though, would be forward Quincy Miller.
Which means sticking it to Baylor.
Miller told Yahoo! Sports NBA writer Marc Spears he is leaving Baylor and signing with an agent, ending his college career after just one year. Miller made his announcement in a press conference on April 10 -- that NCAA deadline we talked about -- that he would return to the Bears as a sophomore. The NBA allows players to place their name on the early entry list until this Sunday.
At 6-9, 210 pounds, Miller is long and agile, but he proved to be far from a finished product as a college freshman. He averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game, struggling as a defender and with his jumpshot. He had only one double-figure scoring game in the NCAA Tournament, getting 10 points in the Bears’ first game, against South Dakota State. He was overwhelmed in the Elite Eight against eventual national champion Kentucky, shooting 1-of-6 from the field for three points in 19 minutes.
Miller had entered Baylor as Scout.com’s No. 4-ranked prospect, but he was coming off a knee injury that kept him from competition during most of his senior year in high school and appeared to need more time to regain his confidence.
Draft analysts rank Miller as a potential first-round pick -- Draft Express lists him as the 18th best NBA prospect. Baylor now loses four of its top six scorers from last season’s 30-win team.
Baylor had kept star forward Perry Jones for a second season after Jones determined he was not physically or mentally prepared for NBA-level competition. The school's run of recent athletic success also includes the Heisman Trophy won by quarterback Robert Griffin, who will become the No. 2 player selected in Thursday's NFL Draft.
Sporting News hands out our 2011-12 NBA awards
This was, of course, not a typical NBA season. The lockout left us with a compressed schedule, strange and lengthy road trips, and the dreaded back-to-back-to-backs. The regular season may have been one most teams would like to forget, but with the end of the year upon us, it's time to award the exceptional performances over these bizarre four months.
Most Valuable Player
This was a good race for much of the year, with LeBron James’ individual brilliance pitted against Kevin Durant’s great numbers in combination with his team’s best-in-the-league record. But as the Thunder ran out of steam down the stretch of the season, finishing 6-6 in their last 12 games and 15-10 in their last 25, he could no longer claim team superiority, and Durant’s candidacy became more of a purely statistical battle with James.
Though Durant’s numbers are outstanding (a league-best 27.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 49.7 percent shooting), they don’t quite stack up with what James has done (27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 53.1 percent shooting). And while Durant’s length makes him a tough defender, James is one of the league’s top all-around defensive players.
Sporting News ballot
1. LeBron James, Heat
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
4. Chris Paul, Clippers
5. Tony Parker, Spurs
Coach of the Year
There are always good candidates for this award, and it tends to go to a new-ish coach whose team exceeds expectations—of the last eight coaches of the year, five have been in their first full seasons with their teams. This points to Indiana’s Frank Vogel, but this is a year in which that trend should be bucked.
A strong case can be made for Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau to win back-to-back COYs, after he handled a rash of injuries that allowed him to tip off with his usual starting five just 14 times. There’s also Boston’s Doc Rivers, whose roster was also battered by injuries and had to use 18 different starting lineups.
But the most impressive job this year came from 16th-year Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who plugged in parts like Danny Green, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills, Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to help overcome the aging of Tim Duncan and an injury to Manu Ginobili, keeping the Spurs at the top of the West.
Sporting News ballot
1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs
2. Doc Rivers, Celtics
3. Tom Thibodeau, Bulls
Rookie of the Year
Had Ricky Rubio remained healthy and kept the Timberwolves on the playoff path, he would have given Kyrie Irving, the top pick in last year’s NBA Draft, a run for this award. But as it stands, Irving (18.8 points, 5.5 assists, 46.8 percent shooting) was clearly the best player first-year player, and looks to be a piece the Cavs can use as a cornerstone going forward. Kenneth Faried, chosen by Denver with the 22nd pick, has proven to be the surprise of the draft, and Leonard’s performance, particularly at the defensive end, has helped Spurs fans forget the George Hill trade.
Sporting News ballot
1. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers.
2. Kenneth Faried, Nuggets.
3. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs.
Most Improved
This is one of the sillier honors in sports, because too often it goes to a player who does not necessarily improve, but merely gets more playing time. Or it goes to a player who just makes a natural progression from rookie to sophomore, or the expected third-year bump. The fact that Jeremy Lin, who played just 284 minutes last year and only 35 games this year, could be considered a candidate for this award points out how futile it is.
For me, the award should go to a player who does something to significantly improve his game, and no one in the league made a bigger leap from rotation player to high-quality starter than Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova, who averaged 13.0 points and 8.8 rebounds. He also shot 45.5 percent on 3-pointers, after a 33.5 percentage in his first three seasons.
Credit, too, goes to Brandan Wright, who looked like he would hobble out of the league before reinventing himself as part of Dallas’ center rotation. Andrew Bynum might have been a shoo-in if his improvement on the court had not been tempered by continued maturity issues.
Sporting News ballot
1. Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks.
2. Brandan Wright, Mavericks.
3. Andrew Bynum, Lakers.
Defensive Player of the Year
As tumultuous as the season has been for the Knicks, and as many different identities as they have had over the year, they have had one constant—Tyson Chandler in the middle. His impact on the Knicks defense has been obvious, as New York has gone from 27th to 13th in points allowed, from 26th to 10th in opponents’ field goal percentage, from 22nd to fifth in defensive rating (a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions) and from 26th to 11th in defensive rebounding percentage.
Sporting News ballot
1. Tyson Chandler, Knicks.
2. Kevin Garnett, Celtics.
3. LeBron James, Heat.
Sixth Man of the Year
James Harden would not only be a starter on most teams, he would be the leading scorer on many. But, playing with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, his talents are best employed off the bench, where he has averaged 16.8 points and dramatically improved his efficiency—he is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 39.0 percent on 3-pointers, up from 42.1 percent and 36.0 percent, respectively, over his first two seasons. Lou Williams pulled off the rare feat of leading his team in scoring while coming off the bench, and Mo Williams provided a consistent scoring punch for the Clippers, but this should be a near unanimous vote for Harden.
Sporting News ballot
1. James Harden, Thunder.
2. Lou Williams, Sixers.
3. Mo Williams, Clippers.
Most Valuable Player
This was a good race for much of the year, with LeBron James’ individual brilliance pitted against Kevin Durant’s great numbers in combination with his team’s best-in-the-league record. But as the Thunder ran out of steam down the stretch of the season, finishing 6-6 in their last 12 games and 15-10 in their last 25, he could no longer claim team superiority, and Durant’s candidacy became more of a purely statistical battle with James.
Though Durant’s numbers are outstanding (a league-best 27.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 49.7 percent shooting), they don’t quite stack up with what James has done (27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 53.1 percent shooting). And while Durant’s length makes him a tough defender, James is one of the league’s top all-around defensive players.
Sporting News ballot
1. LeBron James, Heat
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
4. Chris Paul, Clippers
5. Tony Parker, Spurs
Coach of the Year
There are always good candidates for this award, and it tends to go to a new-ish coach whose team exceeds expectations—of the last eight coaches of the year, five have been in their first full seasons with their teams. This points to Indiana’s Frank Vogel, but this is a year in which that trend should be bucked.
A strong case can be made for Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau to win back-to-back COYs, after he handled a rash of injuries that allowed him to tip off with his usual starting five just 14 times. There’s also Boston’s Doc Rivers, whose roster was also battered by injuries and had to use 18 different starting lineups.
But the most impressive job this year came from 16th-year Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who plugged in parts like Danny Green, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills, Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to help overcome the aging of Tim Duncan and an injury to Manu Ginobili, keeping the Spurs at the top of the West.
Sporting News ballot
1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs
2. Doc Rivers, Celtics
3. Tom Thibodeau, Bulls
Rookie of the Year
Had Ricky Rubio remained healthy and kept the Timberwolves on the playoff path, he would have given Kyrie Irving, the top pick in last year’s NBA Draft, a run for this award. But as it stands, Irving (18.8 points, 5.5 assists, 46.8 percent shooting) was clearly the best player first-year player, and looks to be a piece the Cavs can use as a cornerstone going forward. Kenneth Faried, chosen by Denver with the 22nd pick, has proven to be the surprise of the draft, and Leonard’s performance, particularly at the defensive end, has helped Spurs fans forget the George Hill trade.
Sporting News ballot
1. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers.
2. Kenneth Faried, Nuggets.
3. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs.
Most Improved
This is one of the sillier honors in sports, because too often it goes to a player who does not necessarily improve, but merely gets more playing time. Or it goes to a player who just makes a natural progression from rookie to sophomore, or the expected third-year bump. The fact that Jeremy Lin, who played just 284 minutes last year and only 35 games this year, could be considered a candidate for this award points out how futile it is.
For me, the award should go to a player who does something to significantly improve his game, and no one in the league made a bigger leap from rotation player to high-quality starter than Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova, who averaged 13.0 points and 8.8 rebounds. He also shot 45.5 percent on 3-pointers, after a 33.5 percentage in his first three seasons.
Credit, too, goes to Brandan Wright, who looked like he would hobble out of the league before reinventing himself as part of Dallas’ center rotation. Andrew Bynum might have been a shoo-in if his improvement on the court had not been tempered by continued maturity issues.
Sporting News ballot
1. Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks.
2. Brandan Wright, Mavericks.
3. Andrew Bynum, Lakers.
Defensive Player of the Year
As tumultuous as the season has been for the Knicks, and as many different identities as they have had over the year, they have had one constant—Tyson Chandler in the middle. His impact on the Knicks defense has been obvious, as New York has gone from 27th to 13th in points allowed, from 26th to 10th in opponents’ field goal percentage, from 22nd to fifth in defensive rating (a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions) and from 26th to 11th in defensive rebounding percentage.
Sporting News ballot
1. Tyson Chandler, Knicks.
2. Kevin Garnett, Celtics.
3. LeBron James, Heat.
Sixth Man of the Year
James Harden would not only be a starter on most teams, he would be the leading scorer on many. But, playing with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, his talents are best employed off the bench, where he has averaged 16.8 points and dramatically improved his efficiency—he is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 39.0 percent on 3-pointers, up from 42.1 percent and 36.0 percent, respectively, over his first two seasons. Lou Williams pulled off the rare feat of leading his team in scoring while coming off the bench, and Mo Williams provided a consistent scoring punch for the Clippers, but this should be a near unanimous vote for Harden.
Sporting News ballot
1. James Harden, Thunder.
2. Lou Williams, Sixers.
3. Mo Williams, Clippers.
Can Derrick Rose lead Bulls to title even at less than 100 percent?
While the Chicago Bulls are just one win—or a Miami Heat loss—away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, there’s clearly a concern about the health of star point guard Derrick Rose. Rose has battled a multitude of injuries this season, missing 26 of the Bulls’ 64 games, and just hasn’t looked like himself at times, especially late in the season.
Writes the Chicago Sun-Times, “Nobody expects (Rose) to be playing at an MVP level against the Pacers on Wednesday and Cavaliers on Thursday. ... The best-case scenario involves him returning as close as possible to 100 percent while the playoffs are under way.”
“He’s been out a long time,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, per the Sun-Times. “He’s finding his way, like Rip (Hamilton) has finally gotten comfortable after going through the extended period off. Derrick is going through the same thing. What Derrick has done in the past, he’s gotten up to speed very quickly. Hopefully, that will be the case this time around.”
Rose’s teammates, meanwhile, are confident in his ability to lead the team even if he’s not 100 percent.
“He’s matured so much that he still knows how to be effective even though he’s not 100 percent,” forward Luol Deng said. “Last game (against Dallas, when Rose had 11 points and eight assists in a 93-83 Bulls win), even though he wasn’t attacking or anything, he was still running the offense, running the team. He did a great job doing that.”
Added center Joakim Noah, “Derrick is a tough player. He demands a lot of attention out there on the court. Just having him on the court definitely helps us.”
Writes the Chicago Sun-Times, “Nobody expects (Rose) to be playing at an MVP level against the Pacers on Wednesday and Cavaliers on Thursday. ... The best-case scenario involves him returning as close as possible to 100 percent while the playoffs are under way.”
“He’s been out a long time,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, per the Sun-Times. “He’s finding his way, like Rip (Hamilton) has finally gotten comfortable after going through the extended period off. Derrick is going through the same thing. What Derrick has done in the past, he’s gotten up to speed very quickly. Hopefully, that will be the case this time around.”
Rose’s teammates, meanwhile, are confident in his ability to lead the team even if he’s not 100 percent.
“He’s matured so much that he still knows how to be effective even though he’s not 100 percent,” forward Luol Deng said. “Last game (against Dallas, when Rose had 11 points and eight assists in a 93-83 Bulls win), even though he wasn’t attacking or anything, he was still running the offense, running the team. He did a great job doing that.”
Added center Joakim Noah, “Derrick is a tough player. He demands a lot of attention out there on the court. Just having him on the court definitely helps us.”
PUBLISHED Monday, Apr 23, 2012 at 6:09 pm EDT
A look at three games Tuesday that will impact the NBA’s playoff picture
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz
The Suns did not do themselves any favors by dropping a 118-107 decision at home against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. They already faced a must-win in Utah tonigh, but now they also must beat San Antonio at home on Wednesday in order to secure a playoff spot.
First things first, though—beating the Jazz will not be easy. Utah has won three straight, averaging 117.3 points per game in doing so, and a win over the Suns will seal their spot in the playoffs. They also have the seventh-best record in the NBA at home, at 23-8, though the Suns can take heart in knowing they are the last team to defeat the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena, on April 4.
“We’ve got to bounce back,” Suns guard Shannon Brown said. “We got to go to Utah, tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team. We gotta win. That’s basically what it comes down to.”
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
The chase for the No. 1 seed is all but over in the East, thanks to Miami’s loss to Washington at home on Saturday. The Heat need to win both remaining games, while the Bulls need to lose both of theirs for Miami to claim the top spot. If the Heat are a bit sanguine about losing the top seed, the reason will be right there in front of them on Tuesday—the Celtics are the No. 4 seed, and should Boston beat Atlanta in the first round, they are experienced enough to present a problem for the top seed in the second round, while the third-seeded Pacers are playoff newbies.
Boston is still in its own playoff rumble, because though the Celtics will be the No. 4 seed and Atlanta No. 5, the Hawks lead the Celtics by a game and would have homecourt advantage if that holds up through this week.
L.A. Clippers at Atlanta Hawks
The Clippers need the Lakers to lose to Sacramento on Thursday in order to have a shot at the Pacific Division title. That’s unlikely, but will not matter either way unless the Clippers can close out with wins in their final two games, in Atlanta and New York.
Don’t expect the Hawks to rest players in this one—as long as homecourt advantage in the first round is in play, they’ll keep pushing to stay ahead of the Celtics.
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz
The Suns did not do themselves any favors by dropping a 118-107 decision at home against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. They already faced a must-win in Utah tonigh, but now they also must beat San Antonio at home on Wednesday in order to secure a playoff spot.
First things first, though—beating the Jazz will not be easy. Utah has won three straight, averaging 117.3 points per game in doing so, and a win over the Suns will seal their spot in the playoffs. They also have the seventh-best record in the NBA at home, at 23-8, though the Suns can take heart in knowing they are the last team to defeat the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena, on April 4.
“We’ve got to bounce back,” Suns guard Shannon Brown said. “We got to go to Utah, tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team. We gotta win. That’s basically what it comes down to.”
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
The chase for the No. 1 seed is all but over in the East, thanks to Miami’s loss to Washington at home on Saturday. The Heat need to win both remaining games, while the Bulls need to lose both of theirs for Miami to claim the top spot. If the Heat are a bit sanguine about losing the top seed, the reason will be right there in front of them on Tuesday—the Celtics are the No. 4 seed, and should Boston beat Atlanta in the first round, they are experienced enough to present a problem for the top seed in the second round, while the third-seeded Pacers are playoff newbies.
Boston is still in its own playoff rumble, because though the Celtics will be the No. 4 seed and Atlanta No. 5, the Hawks lead the Celtics by a game and would have homecourt advantage if that holds up through this week.
L.A. Clippers at Atlanta Hawks
The Clippers need the Lakers to lose to Sacramento on Thursday in order to have a shot at the Pacific Division title. That’s unlikely, but will not matter either way unless the Clippers can close out with wins in their final two games, in Atlanta and New York.
Don’t expect the Hawks to rest players in this one—as long as homecourt advantage in the first round is in play, they’ll keep pushing to stay ahead of the Celtics.
Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry shuts it down for season
Kyle Lowry will have offseason surgery and miss the end of the Houston Rockets’ season. Lowry did not play in Sunday’s loss in Miami, which eliminated Houston from playoff contention, and will also miss the Rockets’ final regular-season game, Thursday against the Hornets.
Lowry, with pre-break averages of 15.6 points per game, 7.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals, was being mentioned as an All-Star possibility in the first half of the season. But he was discovered to have a bacterial infection when he was hospitalized on March 8 for a sports hernia and groin infection in the middle of a Rockets East Coast road swing.
Lowry returned for an April 8 game against the Kings and played in nine straight games before deciding to shut it down. His post All-Star break averages fell to 11.4 points, 4.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 steals.
“With the injuries, I won’t be playing again this year,” Lowry said, per the Houston Chronicle. “With the groin and the sports hernia, it’s a lot to deal with. I made a decision to shut it down. ... I haven’t been healthy since I came back.”
He added, “If anybody has seen me play lately, it’s not who I am. It’s one of those tough processes, I tried to play with it and do what I can and not complain about it. It’s a situation I have to get it fixed and taken care of.”
Lowry, with pre-break averages of 15.6 points per game, 7.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals, was being mentioned as an All-Star possibility in the first half of the season. But he was discovered to have a bacterial infection when he was hospitalized on March 8 for a sports hernia and groin infection in the middle of a Rockets East Coast road swing.
Lowry returned for an April 8 game against the Kings and played in nine straight games before deciding to shut it down. His post All-Star break averages fell to 11.4 points, 4.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 steals.
“With the injuries, I won’t be playing again this year,” Lowry said, per the Houston Chronicle. “With the groin and the sports hernia, it’s a lot to deal with. I made a decision to shut it down. ... I haven’t been healthy since I came back.”
He added, “If anybody has seen me play lately, it’s not who I am. It’s one of those tough processes, I tried to play with it and do what I can and not complain about it. It’s a situation I have to get it fixed and taken care of.”
Lakers should sit Metta World Peace for NBA playoffs
Metta World Peace has left us with no other choice. Not after that sequence late in the first half of Sunday’s game at the Staples Center: the elbow that dropped James Harden in a heap, the fighting stance as Harden’s Thunder teammates circled him in retaliation, the wide-eyed, unfocused expression that looked disturbingly familiar.
That has to be the last time we see him on an NBA court this season.
It doesn’t have to be the NBA that does the entire deed, although rarely has the league been as justified to throw the book at a player as it is today.
The suggestion here: Suspend him for the Lakers’ final regular-season game, of course, and then for their entire first-round playoff series, whether it’s a sweep or a seven-gamer.
If they advance, the Lakers are entitled to pick it up from there, and tell World Peace to sit out the rest of the playoffs. Suspend him or deactivate him; it’s just semantics. But he has to go.
They may or may not need him. But they absolutely can’t trust him.
He may have thrown away this second act of his NBA career. The Lakers can’t allow him to throw away the thin chance it still has to win a championship along with it.
It’s sad that World Peace’s career has taken this turn. Yes, sad. Save your anger for elsewhere in cyberspace; it won’t get a soft landing place here. Understandable as it is in light of what he did and how inexcusable it was, the anger has already gone way out of proportion.
Lifetime ban? The dirtiest thing they’ve ever seen in sports? Another lazy resurrection of the images from Auburn Hills, plus the accompanying “thug” talk?
Take a deep breath, click on the video of the Raffi Torres hit on Marian Hossa in the Stanley Cup playoffs last week, then pull yourself together. Even Kevin Love might agree that there have been more heinous things done by NBA players this season.
Yet Metta World Peace brought it on himself. The overreaction doesn’t happen without the action.
There is no player in recent memory who could afford to do what World Peace did to Harden less than he could. Nobody knew that more than him. His acknowledgment of responsibility for his actions and persona is well-documented. His transformation from Ron Artest—who was Public Enemy No. 1, and who was a danger to himself, his career and his future—was remarkable.
The collapse of that transformation is disappointing, on multiple levels. But ultimate success, or even quick success, was never a guarantee. Mental-health issues never are.
He is the guy who gave an on-court shout-out to his therapist seconds after winning his ring with the Lakers two years ago, and the guy who raffled that ring off the following season to raise half a million dollars for mental health charities. But he’s also the guy who, just last spring, got himself thrown out of a playoff game against Dallas, and suspended from the next game.
Just as he’s the guy whose post-game apology and tweets Sunday could be truly sincere and honest in his mind, he’s also the guy who, during the on-court chaos after the elbow, had that glazed, unhinged, not-completely-there look straight from the Auburn Hills aftermath.
In the NBA’s big picture, World Peace is a repeat offender. He’s put the league in a spot it shouldn’t have to be in, after all the good it never gets credit for, all the double-standards it’s had to fight since the Palace brawl, even after its self-inflicted wounds during the lockout.
World Peace has now inflicted wounds that the NBA had nothing to do with, but will pay a heavy price for.
Meanwhile, he’s also a repeat Lakers offender. With everything else perpetually swirling around them, they can’t afford more of last spring, or more of Sunday.
As responsible as he is to his own well-being, World Peace owed something to the NBA and his team, too. He let them all down.
In return, he needs to sit down. The NBA gets its chance first. The Lakers owe it to everybody to sit him the rest of the way.
That has to be the last time we see him on an NBA court this season.
It doesn’t have to be the NBA that does the entire deed, although rarely has the league been as justified to throw the book at a player as it is today.
The suggestion here: Suspend him for the Lakers’ final regular-season game, of course, and then for their entire first-round playoff series, whether it’s a sweep or a seven-gamer.
If they advance, the Lakers are entitled to pick it up from there, and tell World Peace to sit out the rest of the playoffs. Suspend him or deactivate him; it’s just semantics. But he has to go.
They may or may not need him. But they absolutely can’t trust him.
He may have thrown away this second act of his NBA career. The Lakers can’t allow him to throw away the thin chance it still has to win a championship along with it.
It’s sad that World Peace’s career has taken this turn. Yes, sad. Save your anger for elsewhere in cyberspace; it won’t get a soft landing place here. Understandable as it is in light of what he did and how inexcusable it was, the anger has already gone way out of proportion.
Lifetime ban? The dirtiest thing they’ve ever seen in sports? Another lazy resurrection of the images from Auburn Hills, plus the accompanying “thug” talk?
Take a deep breath, click on the video of the Raffi Torres hit on Marian Hossa in the Stanley Cup playoffs last week, then pull yourself together. Even Kevin Love might agree that there have been more heinous things done by NBA players this season.
Yet Metta World Peace brought it on himself. The overreaction doesn’t happen without the action.
There is no player in recent memory who could afford to do what World Peace did to Harden less than he could. Nobody knew that more than him. His acknowledgment of responsibility for his actions and persona is well-documented. His transformation from Ron Artest—who was Public Enemy No. 1, and who was a danger to himself, his career and his future—was remarkable.
The collapse of that transformation is disappointing, on multiple levels. But ultimate success, or even quick success, was never a guarantee. Mental-health issues never are.
He is the guy who gave an on-court shout-out to his therapist seconds after winning his ring with the Lakers two years ago, and the guy who raffled that ring off the following season to raise half a million dollars for mental health charities. But he’s also the guy who, just last spring, got himself thrown out of a playoff game against Dallas, and suspended from the next game.
Just as he’s the guy whose post-game apology and tweets Sunday could be truly sincere and honest in his mind, he’s also the guy who, during the on-court chaos after the elbow, had that glazed, unhinged, not-completely-there look straight from the Auburn Hills aftermath.
In the NBA’s big picture, World Peace is a repeat offender. He’s put the league in a spot it shouldn’t have to be in, after all the good it never gets credit for, all the double-standards it’s had to fight since the Palace brawl, even after its self-inflicted wounds during the lockout.
World Peace has now inflicted wounds that the NBA had nothing to do with, but will pay a heavy price for.
Meanwhile, he’s also a repeat Lakers offender. With everything else perpetually swirling around them, they can’t afford more of last spring, or more of Sunday.
As responsible as he is to his own well-being, World Peace owed something to the NBA and his team, too. He let them all down.
In return, he needs to sit down. The NBA gets its chance first. The Lakers owe it to everybody to sit him the rest of the way.
Al Horford says it’s not realistic for him to be back for playoffs
Center Al Horford does not expect to return from a pectoral injury for the playoffs, Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears reports via Twitter.
Horford, who’s been out since Jan. 11, told Spears, "I don't feel like it is realistic that I can play for the playoffs. Obviously, if we advance and start going we will see. But as of right now the way I feel I think I am out for the playoffs." The Celtics are the Hawks' first-round opponent.
Horford’s statement to Spears marks a change of heart from him telling reporters on Sunday that there was a chance he’d be back for the Hawks’ regular-season finale against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Asked to gauge his chances of playing in the playoffs on a scale of 1 to 10, Horford responded, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I would say a 7. I really want to play. I don’t know if it’s the smartest thing for me physically but I want to be out there and I feel like it’s realistic.”
With Zaza Pachulia also out with a foot injury, the Hawks went with a small lineup against the New York Knicks on Sunday. In fact, their only two active centers—Erick Dampier and Jason Collins—did not play, both listed in the box score as ‘DNP COACH'S DECISION.’
Forward Josh Smith said when Horford left, “It changed matchups and what we could do down the stretch of games.”
Horford, who’s been out since Jan. 11, told Spears, "I don't feel like it is realistic that I can play for the playoffs. Obviously, if we advance and start going we will see. But as of right now the way I feel I think I am out for the playoffs." The Celtics are the Hawks' first-round opponent.
Horford’s statement to Spears marks a change of heart from him telling reporters on Sunday that there was a chance he’d be back for the Hawks’ regular-season finale against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Asked to gauge his chances of playing in the playoffs on a scale of 1 to 10, Horford responded, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I would say a 7. I really want to play. I don’t know if it’s the smartest thing for me physically but I want to be out there and I feel like it’s realistic.”
With Zaza Pachulia also out with a foot injury, the Hawks went with a small lineup against the New York Knicks on Sunday. In fact, their only two active centers—Erick Dampier and Jason Collins—did not play, both listed in the box score as ‘DNP COACH'S DECISION.’
Forward Josh Smith said when Horford left, “It changed matchups and what we could do down the stretch of games.”
Durant concedes LeBron deserves NBA’S MVP award
By most accounts, it’s a two-horse race between LeBron James and Kevin Durant for this season’s NBA MVP award, although James has to be considered the favorite. Durant himself, humble as ever, acknowledged that it's James who deserves the honor.
“He deserves all the love (for MVP),” Durant said, per The Oklahoman. “He's playing phenomenal basketball. I'm just trying to get better every single game and trying to help my team as much as I can. I'm just blessed to be in that conversation.”
James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 53.1 percent from the field, and is even a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, The Oklahoman notes. Also, the Heat have been without James’ co-star, Dwyane Wade, for 15 of their 64 games so far this season.
Durant, meanwhile, holds a razor-thin lead over Kobe Bryant for the league’s scoring title, with a 27.9 points per game average on 49.7 shooting. He’s also averaging eight rebounds and 3.5 assists.
James and Durant have split their head-to-head matchups this season, with Durant scoring 28 points to James’ 17 in the Thunder’s win in Oklahoma City on March 25, and James scoring 34 points to Durant’s 30 in the Heat’s win in Miami in April 4.
“I don’t get involved in saying if I’m the MVP or not," James said, according to Fox Sports' Chris Tomasson. “We’ll see. We got a few games left. ... Just to be in the race, to hear my name in the race with KD and some of the other great athletes, some of the great athletes we have in the league, is very humbling."
Per Tomasson, Heat forward Shane Battier said of James, “His body of work of work speaks for itself. Historically, his numbers are on par with the all-time greats. It’s really a no-brainer, if there’s a question. Durant’s had a phenomenal year, and they’ve played great. But I just think LeBron has had a special, special season."
“He deserves all the love (for MVP),” Durant said, per The Oklahoman. “He's playing phenomenal basketball. I'm just trying to get better every single game and trying to help my team as much as I can. I'm just blessed to be in that conversation.”
James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 53.1 percent from the field, and is even a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, The Oklahoman notes. Also, the Heat have been without James’ co-star, Dwyane Wade, for 15 of their 64 games so far this season.
Durant, meanwhile, holds a razor-thin lead over Kobe Bryant for the league’s scoring title, with a 27.9 points per game average on 49.7 shooting. He’s also averaging eight rebounds and 3.5 assists.
James and Durant have split their head-to-head matchups this season, with Durant scoring 28 points to James’ 17 in the Thunder’s win in Oklahoma City on March 25, and James scoring 34 points to Durant’s 30 in the Heat’s win in Miami in April 4.
“I don’t get involved in saying if I’m the MVP or not," James said, according to Fox Sports' Chris Tomasson. “We’ll see. We got a few games left. ... Just to be in the race, to hear my name in the race with KD and some of the other great athletes, some of the great athletes we have in the league, is very humbling."
Per Tomasson, Heat forward Shane Battier said of James, “His body of work of work speaks for itself. Historically, his numbers are on par with the all-time greats. It’s really a no-brainer, if there’s a question. Durant’s had a phenomenal year, and they’ve played great. But I just think LeBron has had a special, special season."
NBA risers and fallers: Kobe, Durant battle for scoring title; Nets bid New Jersey adieu
RISING
1. The scoring-champ race. Three points. As of now, that’s all that separates Kobe Bryant (1,616 points in 58 games for an average of 27.86 points per game) from Kevin Durant (1,786 points in 64 games for a 27.91 average). Had Bryant, over the course of the season, made one more 3-pointer, he would be at 1,619 points, which would bump him slightly ahead of Durant in terms of scoring average.
Bryant has one game left, on Thursday in Sacramento. He has averaged 26.9 points against the Kings, the sixth-most against any team over his career. Durant has Sacramento (against whom he averages 28.3 points) and Denver (29.6) remaining. That means Durant is in the driver’s seat, but Bryant must make up only those measly three points.
In the end, it might be a more entertaining battle for fans and media members—both players, who faced each other on Sunday, have said that winning the title is not a big deal. “You guys know I can get it,” Bryant told reporters. “I’m not really tripping about it.”
2. The Pacific Division race. Back on March 23, it looked like there was no real reason to count the Clippers as a challenger to the Lakers in L.A. The Clippers had lost three straight and were 3.5 games behind the Lakers, with rumors being floated about the job security of coach Vinny Del Negro.
But give the Clippers credit—with their come-from-behind win over the Hornets on Sunday, they posted their 14th victory in their last 17 games, which has kept pressure on the Lakers to keep winning. The Lakers can wrap up the division with a win in Sacramento on Thursday, but should they lose, the door will be open for the other team in L.A.
3. Monty Williams. There is a new ownership group for the Hornets, and while there had been some trepidation about what might happen with the front office and coaching staff in the wake of the sale of the team, Williams has certainly made a strong case for keeping his job. He has established himself as one of the league’s brightest young coaches, and has shown here at the end of the season that the Hornets might have been a pretty good team had they been healthy—with star shooting guard Eric Gordon back from a knee injury, the Hornets have gone 5-2. Thanks to Minnesota’s late nosedive, the Hornets are likely to head into the 2012 NBA Draft with two top 10 picks, making the future fairly bright for Williams’ bunch.
FALLING
1. World Peace. Just when everything had been going so well for Metta World Peace, the player formerly known as Ron Artest, he goes and delivers an ugly blow to James Harden’s skull and gets ejected from the Lakers’ win over the Thunder on Sunday. MWP has averaged 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his last 10 games, shooting 49.6 percent from the field. That had to make coach Mike Brown and his Lakers teammates feel pretty good about what they might get out of World Peace, who struggled for much of the year, in the postseason. Then came the elbow, and it will likely cost World Peace a five-game suspension, minimum—it would not be surprising to see the league come down hard on him, and knock him out for 10 games.
With only one regular-season game remaining, the Lakers will be without their starting small forward for much of the first round of the playoffs, and perhaps much of the second round, too.
2. New Jersey. A total of 35 seasons in New Jersey will come to an end on Monday when the Nets host the Sixers, and it will not be a finale awash in glory. The Nets will close out in Newark, their temporary home for the past two seasons, with one of the NBA’s worst records and one of the league’s saddest attendance figures, as they prep for their escape across the river to Brooklyn, where they’ll open the Barclay’s Center next season.
The franchise had one brief spurt of glory, a decade ago, when Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson helped lead them to the Finals twice, but beyond that, it has been a woebegone franchise, with more coaches (17) than playoff appearances (16) in 35 years. Of those postseason appearances, only six lasted beyond the first round.
3. Warriors’ draft. Everything seemed to be going so well at halftime of the Warriors’ game against the Timberwolves on Sunday. They trailed by 16, and looked like a pretty good bet to drop their ninth straight game, which would have moved them into a three-way tie with the Nets and Raptors for the sixth-worst record in the league. But then the depletion of Minnesota’s roster began to outweigh the depletion of Golden State’s roster, and the Warriors rallied to win by five. That keeps the Warriors at 23-41 and holding the eighth-worst record in the league.
Golden State has a vested interest in losing and falling behind the Raptors and/or the Nets in the standings—they owe their draft pick to the Jazz, unless that pick falls in the top seven. Some good scheduling is in line for the Warriors because, if they can lose their last two games, Toronto and New Jersey close the season against each other on Thursday. Someone has got to win that one.
RANK 'EM
(last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. San Antonio Spurs (1).
2. Chicago Bulls (3).
3. Miami Heat (4).
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (2).
5. L.A. Lakers (5).
6. Indiana Pacers (7).
7. L.A. Clippers (6).
8. Memphis Grizzlies (8).
9. Boston Celtics (9).
10. Atlanta Hawks (10).
11. Denver Nuggets (12).
12. Dallas Mavericks (14).
13. Utah Jazz (19).
14. Orlando Magic (11).
15. New York Knicks (15).
16. Philadelphia 76ers (16).
17. Phoenix Suns (17).
18. Houston Rockets (13).
19. Milwaukee Bucks (18).
20. Portland Trail Blazers (20).
21. Detroit Pistons (25).
22. Toronto Raptors (21).
23. New Jersey Nets (22).
24. Golden State Warriors (23).
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (24).
26. New Orleans Hornets (26).
27. Sacramento Kings (27).
28. Cleveland Cavaliers (28).
29. Washington Wizards (29).
30. Charlotte Bobcats (30).
1. The scoring-champ race. Three points. As of now, that’s all that separates Kobe Bryant (1,616 points in 58 games for an average of 27.86 points per game) from Kevin Durant (1,786 points in 64 games for a 27.91 average). Had Bryant, over the course of the season, made one more 3-pointer, he would be at 1,619 points, which would bump him slightly ahead of Durant in terms of scoring average.
Bryant has one game left, on Thursday in Sacramento. He has averaged 26.9 points against the Kings, the sixth-most against any team over his career. Durant has Sacramento (against whom he averages 28.3 points) and Denver (29.6) remaining. That means Durant is in the driver’s seat, but Bryant must make up only those measly three points.
In the end, it might be a more entertaining battle for fans and media members—both players, who faced each other on Sunday, have said that winning the title is not a big deal. “You guys know I can get it,” Bryant told reporters. “I’m not really tripping about it.”
2. The Pacific Division race. Back on March 23, it looked like there was no real reason to count the Clippers as a challenger to the Lakers in L.A. The Clippers had lost three straight and were 3.5 games behind the Lakers, with rumors being floated about the job security of coach Vinny Del Negro.
But give the Clippers credit—with their come-from-behind win over the Hornets on Sunday, they posted their 14th victory in their last 17 games, which has kept pressure on the Lakers to keep winning. The Lakers can wrap up the division with a win in Sacramento on Thursday, but should they lose, the door will be open for the other team in L.A.
3. Monty Williams. There is a new ownership group for the Hornets, and while there had been some trepidation about what might happen with the front office and coaching staff in the wake of the sale of the team, Williams has certainly made a strong case for keeping his job. He has established himself as one of the league’s brightest young coaches, and has shown here at the end of the season that the Hornets might have been a pretty good team had they been healthy—with star shooting guard Eric Gordon back from a knee injury, the Hornets have gone 5-2. Thanks to Minnesota’s late nosedive, the Hornets are likely to head into the 2012 NBA Draft with two top 10 picks, making the future fairly bright for Williams’ bunch.
FALLING
1. World Peace. Just when everything had been going so well for Metta World Peace, the player formerly known as Ron Artest, he goes and delivers an ugly blow to James Harden’s skull and gets ejected from the Lakers’ win over the Thunder on Sunday. MWP has averaged 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his last 10 games, shooting 49.6 percent from the field. That had to make coach Mike Brown and his Lakers teammates feel pretty good about what they might get out of World Peace, who struggled for much of the year, in the postseason. Then came the elbow, and it will likely cost World Peace a five-game suspension, minimum—it would not be surprising to see the league come down hard on him, and knock him out for 10 games.
With only one regular-season game remaining, the Lakers will be without their starting small forward for much of the first round of the playoffs, and perhaps much of the second round, too.
2. New Jersey. A total of 35 seasons in New Jersey will come to an end on Monday when the Nets host the Sixers, and it will not be a finale awash in glory. The Nets will close out in Newark, their temporary home for the past two seasons, with one of the NBA’s worst records and one of the league’s saddest attendance figures, as they prep for their escape across the river to Brooklyn, where they’ll open the Barclay’s Center next season.
The franchise had one brief spurt of glory, a decade ago, when Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson helped lead them to the Finals twice, but beyond that, it has been a woebegone franchise, with more coaches (17) than playoff appearances (16) in 35 years. Of those postseason appearances, only six lasted beyond the first round.
3. Warriors’ draft. Everything seemed to be going so well at halftime of the Warriors’ game against the Timberwolves on Sunday. They trailed by 16, and looked like a pretty good bet to drop their ninth straight game, which would have moved them into a three-way tie with the Nets and Raptors for the sixth-worst record in the league. But then the depletion of Minnesota’s roster began to outweigh the depletion of Golden State’s roster, and the Warriors rallied to win by five. That keeps the Warriors at 23-41 and holding the eighth-worst record in the league.
Golden State has a vested interest in losing and falling behind the Raptors and/or the Nets in the standings—they owe their draft pick to the Jazz, unless that pick falls in the top seven. Some good scheduling is in line for the Warriors because, if they can lose their last two games, Toronto and New Jersey close the season against each other on Thursday. Someone has got to win that one.
RANK 'EM
(last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. San Antonio Spurs (1).
2. Chicago Bulls (3).
3. Miami Heat (4).
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (2).
5. L.A. Lakers (5).
6. Indiana Pacers (7).
7. L.A. Clippers (6).
8. Memphis Grizzlies (8).
9. Boston Celtics (9).
10. Atlanta Hawks (10).
11. Denver Nuggets (12).
12. Dallas Mavericks (14).
13. Utah Jazz (19).
14. Orlando Magic (11).
15. New York Knicks (15).
16. Philadelphia 76ers (16).
17. Phoenix Suns (17).
18. Houston Rockets (13).
19. Milwaukee Bucks (18).
20. Portland Trail Blazers (20).
21. Detroit Pistons (25).
22. Toronto Raptors (21).
23. New Jersey Nets (22).
24. Golden State Warriors (23).
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (24).
26. New Orleans Hornets (26).
27. Sacramento Kings (27).
28. Cleveland Cavaliers (28).
29. Washington Wizards (29).
30. Charlotte Bobcats (30).
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