Video: Metta World Peace pulls WWE-ish double clothesline on the Thunder

Source: theScore by Trey Kerby

You guys are not going to believe this, but Reggie Miller was actually right about something. Yeah, I don’t know what to make of this world either. We also would have accepted “Like something from ‘The Three Stooges’,” but this works. Weird.

Rudy Fernandez says Real Madrid in play if NBA teams don’t step up

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

For the past couple summers, Rudy Fernandez has had the Real Madrid card in his back pocket. Two years ago he tried to get Portland to release him so he could go play for the Spanish powerhouse, but that wasn’t happening. Instead they traded him to Denver. Fernandez played for Madrid during the lockout, but…

Kobe Bryant's Clutch Reputation Turns Lakers, Mike Brown Upside Down

Source: SBNation.com by Mike Prada

The Lakers wanted to go to Kobe Bryant late ... as always. So when Metta World Peace made a better play that resulted in a Steve Blake miss, Kobe's reputation became more important than smart improvisation. It's not a good look.

Normally, the Kobe Bryant clutch argument doesn't much intrigue me. An element of "clutchness" is possessing the confidence to fail rather than actually succeeding, and people tend to make too much out of that element. Bryant certainly isn't afraid of failing, even though he succeeds far less often than people think these days.

All that said, what transpired at the end of the L.A.

Patrick Ewing gets turn in Bobcats interview chair Thursday

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Mr. Ewing, Mr. Cho will see you now. We knew that Patrick Ewing, and Orlando Magic assistant coach, was among the number of good young coaches going to interview for the vacant Charlotte Bobcats coaching gig. Turns out, Ewing is up on Thursday, according to the AP. So far the Bobcats also have interviewed Mike…

Offensive Outburst Lifts Celts In Game 3

Source: Hang Time Blog by John Schuhmann

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia 76ers had their most efficient offensive game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday. And they lost by 16.

This was the Boston Celtics’ night, an easy 107-91 victory to grab a 2-1 series lead and take back home-court advantage. In the wake of their anemic offensive performance in Game 2 and countless articles (including this one) about their inability to score, the Celtics exploded for their best offensive game in a long time.

After going scoreless on their first four possessions of the game, the Celtics did what Doc Rivers has been asking for the last two days. They went to Kevin Garnett in the post on their next two possessions. He gave them two short jumpers over Elton Brand, and the flood gates opened from there.

Rajon Rondo also set an aggressive tone early, scoring 13 points before he recorded a single assist. Garnett owned the Sixers bigs in the post and led all scorers with 27 points. And Paul Pierce finally got into the scoring act. He shot just 6-for-17 from the field, but got to the line 14 times.

All around, the Celtics were sharper than we’re used to seeing them. The ball movement was crisp and contagious all night. And after the Sixers scored 33 points in the first quarter, Boston also turned up the heat defensively.

It’s doubtful that the Celtics can pour it on like this again in this series, and in the playoffs, every game has its own personality. But Boston clearly found a rhythm in Game 3 that can help them going forward.

Top Exec Bird Leaves Them Guessing

Source: Hang Time Blog by shaunpowell

INDIANAPOLIS — Once you’ve won Executive of the Year, adding to your three MVPs and Coach of the Year and three championships and etc., etc., where do you go from here?

Hopefully, for the Pacers’ sake, Larry Bird goes back to work.

“Right now we’re working on the Draft and we’ve got free agency, so it never stops,” he said. “We keep plugging along.”

That’s the closest Bird has come to committing to next season. Right now, the franchise is left to guess, like everyone else, what exactly is in Bird’s immediate future. And if he knows, he’s not saying. Bird has maintained all along that he’ll wait until after this season to decide whether to retire or solider on as Pacers president, and the drama is only building because the Pacers’ season is stretching longer than it has in seven years.

Much of that is due to the turnaround engineered by Bird, who was officially named the league’s top exec Wednesday, the day after the Pacers evened their second-round series with the Heat. The honor is well deserved by Bird, only the third man (after Frank Layden and Pat Riley) to own a coach and executive award, because his fingerprints are all over this current Pacers’ team. In the last several months, Bird added David West, George Hill, Louis Amundson and Leandro Barbosa without giving up much in terms of core assets. Handcuffed by the realities of the typical small-market team, and one that hasn’t had the luxury of landing a franchise player through the draft, the Pacers are deep and with a mix of veterans and youth.

It has been a long and slow climb to respectability for Bird and the Pacers, following the Malice at the Palace several years ago, when he was forced to push the restart button. The Pacers had image issues and salary cap issues, which resulted in years of losing games and a segment of the fan base.

“It took a lot of work,” Bird said. “We had to change the culture. We had to take it slow and get some players we thought we could build around. It was a long journey, it was a painful journey, but we think it’s going to pay dividends.

“Last summer we got lucky and picked up a couple of players, and I’m really excited about where this franchise is heading. I like my team, and we’re young, so we’ve got room to grow.”

Bird initially took plenty of heat when he first began to rebuild, a typical reaction by an impatient society.

“Being from Indiana and having the chance to work for a great franchise like the Pacers was an honor, but I knew it was going to be tough,” said Bird. “And it’s still tough. We don’t drive revenues like the big market teams. We can’t go after $17-$18 million players. We’ve got to go about it a different way. One piece at a time. If we try to patchwork it, it don’t work that way. At least that’s what I’ve seen. We had an opportunity to get under the cap and we’ve made the most of it.”

Among Bird’s better moves was last summer’s hiring of Frank Vogel over Mike Brown. Vogel is the former Pacers assistant coach who turned last season’s surprising playoff run into a 2011-12 campaign that saw the Pacers grab the No. 3 seed.

“If you look at how this team has been built, it really is remarkable,” said Vogel. “We haven’t had a No. 1 or 2 pick in the draft. We only have one player taken in the top 10 and that’s Paul George at No. 10. To build this team with mid-lottery picks and not exactly blockbuster trades is nearly impossible to do.”

And so, what’s next? Well, Bird said he’d never leave the job until he was sure the Pacers had turned the corner. And now that they have, Bird is on the clock.

First Cup: Thursday

Source: TrueHoop

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: What Oklahoma City did in those final 120 seconds was nothing short of sensational — especially given the style of play this ballgame had been in the first 46 minutes. The Thunder stormed back from a late seven-point deficit to steal a 77-75 win in Game 2 on Wednesday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. With the narrow victory, the Thunder preserved home-court advantage and took a 2-0 series lead as this Western Conference semifinal now shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.

Game Recap

Source: SI.com

There was no blowout, but the result was the same. Kevin Durant hit the go-ahead basket with 18 seconds left as the Thunder edged the Lakers 77-75 for a 2-0 lead in the West semis.

Video: Kevin Durant’s game-winning bucket to beat Lakers

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

The Lakers had this in the bag, up 7 with two minutes to go. But then the Thunder went and won a game that felt a lot like how the Lakers used to win games — a little bit of luck and some great shots. The last of the those shots is above. Kevin Durant…

Daily Zap: May 16

Source: Ten Before Tip Blog by NBA.com staff

Thunder clip Lakers for 2-0 lead in West semis

Source: SI.com

There was no blowout, but the result was the same. Kevin Durant hit the go-ahead basket with 18 seconds left as the Thunder edged the Lakers 77-75 for a 2-0 lead in the West semis.

Lakers-Thunder Game 2: A Thunder magic trick, a Lakers disappearing act, and a change of the guard

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Matt Moore

In Game 1, everything went wrong for the Lakers, everything went right for the Thunder. Thunder won. In Game 2, for 46 minutes, at least some things went right for the Lakers, everything went wrong for the Thunder. The pace was slow. The defense was incredible for the Lakers. The Thunder weren’t hitting jumpers. A…

Relentless Thunder Rally, Take Game 2

Source: Hang Time Blog by Sekou Smith

OKLAHOMA CITY – A seven-point lead with two minutes to play and one of the greatest closers in the game wasn’t enough to save the Los Angeles Lakers, not with the Oklahoma City Thunder lurking in the final minutes on their home floor.

Six points from James Harden, two critical turnovers from the Lakers and a Kevin Durant baseline runner with 18.6 seconds to play and what looked like a series equalizing win for the Lakers turned into yet another shocking comeback win from the Thunder, who struggled through their worst game of this postseason only to steal Game 2 in the final minutes at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Durant’s free throw with 0.3 seconds to play capped a 9-0 run for the Thunder, who won Games 1 and 2 in their first round series against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round by a combined four points. That might explain why they didn’t panic in those finals two minutes.

“I’ve been around these guys four years, and one thing about them is they won’t quit,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “They’re not wired that way. It’s not in their DNA. If it was, they wouldn’t be here.”

The Lakers led 75-68 with two minutes to play with the game seemingly in hand. But instead of the veteran Lakers salting this one away with Kobe Bryant finishing the deal, the Lakers lost control of the game and basically gave this one away.

“We’re better than Santa Claus giving out gifts,” said Lakers center Andrew Bynum. “We like giving out gifts. We give out games, contracts and rings.”

They got sloppy with the ball, opened the door with their turnovers, both involving Bryant, and watched the Thunder kick it open at crunch time. Bryant missed a 3-pointer that set the stage for Durant’s go-ahead basket and he missed all five of his shots in the final five minutes of the game.

On the flip side, Durant was fantastic down the stretch.

“He’s a great player,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said of Durant. “That’s what great players do. He played a great game, especially the last two minutes of the game on both ends of the floor. Big shot. Big steal. Great presence down the stretch for OKC.”

Now they’re facing a brutal back-to-back set in Games 3 and 4 Friday and Saturday night at Staples Center to keep their season alive. The Lakers are 1-7 when trailing 2-0 in a series with Bryant on the roster.

They had one last shot at snatching this one. But Steve Blake‘s corner 3-pointer with 2.3 to play was wide right and bounced off the back of the rim and into the hands of Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha.

That final play was run for Bryant. But Lakers forward Metta World Peace saw Blake slide behind Russell Westbrook and into the corner for a wide open look and didn’t hesitate.

“Once I let it go I kind of new it was to the right a little bit,” Blake said. “I felt comfortable shooting it, but I knew it was to the right. I was wide open … and you gotta take it and make it.”

The Lakers had everything in their favor, holding the Thunder to their lowest point total in a win since they’ve been here, they scored just 20 points before finishing with that 9-0 run. And they still couldn’t get it done.

“The last few minutes there they just made gambles and just flat-out risks defensively,” Bryant said. “Durant did it. [Harden] did it. We’ll make our adjustments in Game 3. But they did a great job.”

An unbelievable job in the final two minutes.

Behind the Box Score, where the Lakers absolutely melted down the stretch

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Kelly Dwyer

Oklahoma City Thunder 77, Los Angeles Lakers 75 (Thunder lead series, 2-0)

The Oklahoma City Thunder were down seven points in this contest with two minutes left to play, with just 68 points to their credit at that point in the game. And though we've seen comebacks that overcome that differential in even shorter amounts of time, given Los Angeles' defensive dominance for the first 46 minutes of the contest, who in their right mind thought that the Thunder could outscore the Lakers by eight points over that final term, considering that they had to essentially pitch a shutout because of the waning seconds?

Well, the Thunder managed one of the two. They pitched the shutout, but they didn't outscore Los Angeles by eight in the final two minutes. They outscored 'em by nine. The Thunder are championship-worthy, and the Lakers have their problems, but it's OK to be shocked at the way Los Angeles frittered away this contest.

The Lakers weren't exactly going great guns offensively prior to the meltdown. The team had strayed away from feeding the ball to Andrew Bynum in the fourth quarter (though he took five shots, making five), and had scored just 12 points in the first 10 minutes of the period. Kobe Bryant had just hit two nice fadeaway jumpers — but they were the sort of low percentage, fool's gold looks that he habitually relies on. A pair of lazy passes from Bryant and Steve Blake, then a needless three-pointer from Kobe with six seconds left on the shot clock in Los Angeles' penultimate possession (yes, I know a play ending with a foul counts as a possession) preceded a head-scratcher of a final play.

The Lakers had the ball with 18.6 seconds left, down one, but Bryant waited until there were six seconds left in the game to drive and force the Thunder to use the foul left that they had to give. Then, on a team featuring two seven footers that can score and pass, the Lakers drew a play that featured Blake (and, eventually, presumably, Bryant) in the opposite corners for three-pointers. The ball went to Blake, Blake missed, Bryant pouted (not fouling to stop the clock soon after), and the Thunder stole a win.

They did what they had to, and last-second plays usually work at about a 30 percent success rate. All the clichés, and all the documented history — toss it all out there. But this was a shocking win that the Thunder outright stole.

It's cherry-picking, but we're right to point out that Kobe Bryant missed five of seven shots in the fourth quarter, with that turnover. And his two makes were tough, tough shots that perhaps weren't the smartest to take. Bad habits, again, in gunning for those low percentage shots. Kevin Durant did a good job defending Bryant in the latter half of the fourth quarter, but a few of those makes and misses were on James Harden. Durant didn't make the difference. Bryant's shot selection did.

Discredit Mike Brown for those last few minutes, the Lakers established bad habits to start the fourth quarter (Pau Gasol attempted and missed one shot in the fourth after hitting six of his first 10 in the game), but it has to be pointed out that Brown's adjustments as the Lakers hedged on Kevin Durant's curls were the reason Los Angeles was leading this game in the first place. And, as Thunder coach Scott Brooks pointed out after his team's win, both Durant and Russell Westbrook were passing to their second option way too much — looking for spot up shooters when tough drives and potential trips to the line would work.

This is how this game, heartbreakingly, works sometimes. On the road, playing against a superior team, you need to play near-perfect basketball in order to pull out a win. And when you bundle a series of mistakes (bad shots, bad turnovers) towards the absolute end of a somewhat-close contest, things tend to slip away. Mike Brown's defensive adjustments were absolutely on point — not only were the Thunder shooting poorly but they more than tripled their turnovers from Game 1 to Game 2 and … it wasn't enough.

That's a killer. "They did what they had to do" and "I feel that there's still a lot of basketball left in our team"-all you want, but that's going to be tough to take.

The Lakers made their adjustments, and the Thunder still pulled out the win. Oklahoma City, once it watches the tape, knows exactly what it has to do in order to move past Brown's machinations. They'll see where their offense went wrong, and adjust for Game 3 on Friday.

The Lakers? They've been watching games slip away because of offensive decisions like these for years, and not doing much of anything about it. They know what they have to do, and too often they decline to do anything about it.

The Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers.

The Lakers' coaching staff will have quite a cauldron on their hands as they skulk back to Los Angeles.

Thunder rally to edge Lakers 77-75 in Game 2 (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Celtics cruise to 2-1 lead on Sixers

Source: SI.com

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Kevin Garnett yapped his way down the court after big baskets and clearly enjoyed taking it to the 76ers.

Thunder clip Lakers to 2-0 lead in West semis

Source: SI.com

There was no blowout, but the result was the same. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led as the Thunder edged the Lakers 77-75 to take a 2-0 advantage in their West semifinal.

Video proof Paul Pierce can still dunk on people

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Paul Pierce has a bad knee? He says no but yes, he actually does. You could see it on his jump shots from the field.  But he played through it with a real energy on Wednesday night, and it showed with that dunk on Thaddeus Young near the end of the first quarter. It seemed…

Kevin Garnett on the attack

Source: TrueHoop

Jesse Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images Kevin Garnett was far too intense for the Sixers in Game 3. For all the deftness and agility of Rajon Rondo, Sixer point guard Jrue Holiday might have been the player who had the easiest time getting where he wanted on the court in Wednesday night's Game 3 between the Sixers and Celtics in Philadelphia. He rocked defenders to sleep, he crossed them over and he darted into the lane at will. And, importantly, he drew the second foul on Kevin Garnett less than six minutes into the game, which the Celtics won 107-91 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Garnett keys Game 3 rout for Celtics

Source: TrueHoop

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty ImagesKevin Garnett had a big game as the Celtics took a 2-1 series lead against the 76ers.Kevin Garnett has been rejuvenated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The future Hall of Famer, now in his 17th season, carried the Boston Celtics to a Game 3 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Garnett, who turns 36 years old on Saturday, had 27 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in Game 3. Garnett is the third-oldest player in the last 25 seasons with those stats in a playoff game.

Celtics find Fountain of Youth (or offense), rout 76ers in Game 3

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

For the first couple of games, Boston looked old and injured, with Philly’s aggressive defense forcing improvisation and a lot of missed shots. In Game 3, Boston got their groove back. From 2008. Boston attacked the paint early with post ups, Kevin Garnett could not miss a turnaround jumper on his way to 27 points…

Celtics top 76ers 107-91 in Game 3 for 2-1 lead (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Kevin Garnett scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-91 on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Shaving a picture of Matt Bonner in his head could net a young Spurs fan an in-school suspension

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Kelly Dwyer

A young San Antonio Spurs fan faces an in-school suspension on Thursday if he doesn't somehow find a way to alter the image of Matt Bonner that was shaved into the back of his head. You read the previous sentence correctly. The Spurs forward, who is averaging just 14.6 minutes per game in the postseason, has apparently made such an impact on Woodlake Hills Middle School student Patrick Gonzalez that the youngster decided to have a hairstylist shave an image of the Spurs sharpshooter into the back of his haircut. Via Tas Melas, here's the image that has the principals at Woodlake Hills Middle School in righteous fear of the apparently inevitable anarchy and lawlessness in the school halls that will result if Gonzalez comes to school on Thursday without changing the haircut:

Because the image is so threatening, and so severe, if the style isn't "fixed" by Thursday, Gonzalez will have to take in an in-school suspension (the worst of all suspensions, because you don't get to go home and watch TV), because that seems very rational and fair to all the children. Here's the story, from Grace White at FOX 29:

"There was no permission that was given if the parent thought that then it was a miscommunication," said Aubrey Chancellor, Judson I.S.D. District officials say the haircut is a distraction. "Whether it's the spurs or whether it's the cowboys anything people obviously support, it doesn't matter."

You hear that, Texas schoolchildren? Whether you support spurs or cowboys or even Spurs or Cowboys (two teams that obviously play against each other several times a year for the World Finals of Stanley Bowls), shaving a rather benign image of a fan friendly forward that wears New Balance sneakers during pro basketball games seems like the least offensive infraction we can possibly imagine.

Especially when the hero in question was an Academic All-American at college, one who "never received less than an 'A' as final grade in any class throughout his academic career, until he received a 'C' on a chemistry exam in college, which led to a final grade of a 'B.'"

(No word on if Bonner's 'C' and 'B' marks were unduly influenced by a classmate featuring an image of Sam Perkins shaved into his head.)

We don't know the entirety of this story, or Gonzalez's history. Perhaps he was caught selling three-pointers in the parking lot outside of the school last month. Maybe he was previously suspended for telling a teacher to "square your feet" and "get your elbow under the chalk" as she attempted to teach her class. It's possible that he served a detention earlier in the year for drawing a three-point arc on the inside of a textbook.

Still, unless this youngster has some history that led to a reaction like this, the threat of a suspension for an innocuous haircut like this can only be termed an "overreaction."

LIVE: Thunder eyeing 2-0 lead on Lakers in West semis

Source: SI.com

The Thunder ran away with Game 1. Will Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Co. deliver another blowout win or can the Lakers bounce back and even up their Western Conference semifinal?

Rare Bryant photos

Source: SI.com

Celtics roll past Sixers for 2-1 lead in East semis

Source: SI.com

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Kevin Garnett scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-91 on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Celtics Take Game 3 With Much-Needed Offensive Onslaught

Source: Hang Time Blog by John Schuhmann

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia 76ers had their most efficient offensive game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday. And they lost by 16.

This was the Boston Celtics’ night, an easy 107-71 victory to grab a 2-1 series lead and take back home-court advantage. In the wake of their anemic offensive performance in Game 2 and countless articles (including this one) about their inability to score, the Celtics exploded for their best offensive game in a long time.

After going scoreless on their first four possessions of the game, the Celtics did what Doc Rivers has been asking for the last two days. They went to Kevin Garnett in the post on their next two possessions. He gave them two short jumpers over Elton Brand, and the flood gates opened from there.

Rajon Rondo also set an aggressive tone early, scoring 13 points before he recorded a single assist. Garnett owned the Sixers bigs in the post and led all scorers with 27 points. And Paul Pierce finally got into the scoring act. He shot just 6-for-17 from the field, but got to the line 14 times.

All around, the Celtics were sharper than we’re used to seeing them. The ball movement was crisp and contagious all night. And after the Sixers scored 33 points in the first quarter, Boston also turned up the heat defensively.

It’s doubtful that the Celtics can pour it on like this again in this series, and in the playoffs, every game has its own personality. But Boston clearly found a rhythm in Game 3 that can help them going forward.

***

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. Send him an e-mail or follow him on twitter.

NBA appoints new Competition Committee (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

NEW YORK (AP) Coaches Doc Rivers of Boston, Rick Carlisle of Dallas and Lionel Hollins of Memphis have been named to the NBA's Competition Committee.

Celtics thump Sixers on road for 2-1 East semifinals lead

Source: SI.com

The Celtics are back in control against the Sixers. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo had a combined 74 points as Boston cruised 107-91 to open a 2-1 lead in the East semis.

Where Do The Hawks Go From Here?

Source: HoopsWorld by Lang Greene

Atlanta overcame injuries to record 40 wins and a fifth straight trip to playoffs, but will enter the summer with plenty of uncertainty

Celts' Rivers, Kupchak part of new Competition Committee

Source: NBA.com

NBA appoints new Competition Committee

LAKERS AT THUNDER, 9:30 P.M. ET

Source: Ten Before Tip Blog by randyrennerokc

TV:  TNT

• Thunder center Kendrick Perkins will play tonight, “I talked to him a few minutes ago and he said he feels pretty good,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks told reporters. Perkins participated in most of Oklahoma City’s shoot-around today but did not warm up before the game.
• Lakers head coach Mike Brown said Kobe Bryant would not start the game guarding Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook, “Sessions will probably start the game on him but Kobe will guard him some too.” Westbrook had one of the best games of his career Monday night scoring 27 points, handing out nine assists, grabbing seven rebounds and turning the ball over only once.
• How important is this game for the Lakers? Over the years when they’ve lost the first two games of a seven game playoff series they are 2-17…when they’ve split the first two games they are 29-12. So hey Andrew Bynum is this a must win for you guys? “Well it’d be good if we don’t get smacked by 30.”
• Bynum and Devin Ebanks were both fined by the NBA today. Ebanks was hit for $25,000 for his behavior in the final minutes of Game 1 and Bynum was docked $15,000 for not talking to reporters when he was supposed to after the Lakers practice yesterday.
• Brooks is expecting a much tougher game tonight, “we played a great game Monday night, maybe the best we can play, they didn’t have a very good game. I expect them to play much better tonight.”
• OKC’s 29 point win in Game 1 was the fourth largest margin of victory in franchise playoff history. The 35 point lead the Thunder had on the Lakers was the largest against any team this season.
• Oklahoma City averaged 16.3 turnovers per game in the regular season, worst in the league. During the playoffs those numbers have gone the other direction. The Thunder comitted just four turnovers Monday night (a franchise playoff record) and OKC turned it over just eight times in Game 3 vs. Dallas. In five playoff games Oklahoma City is averaging just 11 turnovers per game.
• Metta World Peace told reporters he lobbied for Brooks to get the head coaching job at Sacramento when both were with the Kings a few years ago. Brooks was asked if he knew that had happened, “I read about it today, little did he know if I’d gotten the job I was gonna ask that he be traded,” then he grinned at reporters and said, “just kidding. And hey guys make sure to put I said I was just kidding.” Okay coach.

– Randy Renner

NBA Chat With Lang Greene 5/16/12

Source: HoopsWorld by Lang Greene

Lang’s chat begins every Wednesday night at 8:00pm EST. Get your questions in now, everything NBA related is up for discussion.

Bulls GM says fans can expect Carlos Boozer back

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Bulls fans have turned Carlos Boozer into their whipping boy — all problems seem to be his fault, from issues like consistent post scoring to NATO summit protestors. To me, Boozer has seemed like what he always has been and Bulls fans sound like Jazz fans three years ago. But sorry Bulls fans, Boozer is…

Can less CP3 be more CP3?

Source: Hang Time Blog by Fran Blinebury

SAN ANTONIO – When the practice session was over, guard Nick Young headed straight to the dentist for a root canal.

His Clipper teammate Chris Paul came out of the video review of Game 1 feeling like he’d already one, minus the Novocain.

“We have to limit the turnovers and me personally make a few shots,” Paul said, having connected on just 3-of-13 from the field and scored only six points in the series opener. “Out of 16 turnovers, I had five of them.”

Paul didn’t blame the Clippers shortcomings in the 108-92 loss on anyone but himself and said his nagging groin injury was not a reason.

“We played hard last night, but we didn’t play effective,” he said. “It’s probably me. I didn’t play effective, so I’ve got to come out and have a better game.

“Just plays I wish I could have back. One of them was a travel in the lane. I felt like the ball slipped out of my hand. I threw a bad pass to Reggie (Evans) when I got in the air. I probably should have shot it. I threw a bad pass to Bled (Eric Bledsoe) between his legs. I remember all of them.”

The Clippers, more than any team left in the playoffs, are reliant on their one key cog to fuel their success. Though he handed out 10 assists on Tuesday night, Paul missed all seven shots he tried in the second half and never took control of the game the way he did at critical points in L.A.’s first-round series win over Memphis.

While it was a bright spot to get 23 points from backup point guard Bledsoe and 3-for-3 shooting from long range by Young, the Clippers are going no farther without Paul’s leadership and he said he might have found a reason for coming up short in the opener. Did he push too hard in the step up in class against San Antonio? Did he shoulder too much of the burden to set a tone in Game 1.

“It’s trying to do too much,” he said.

Less is more. The new CP3 motto.

Greg Oden wants to play for the Miami Heat

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Eric Freeman

It's not particularly controversial these days to say that Greg Oden's basketball career is in a state of flux, in the sense that no one would be surprised if he never plays again. He has a lot to prove, first and foremost that he can stay healthy. And it's likely that, if any time signs him to a contract this summer, he won't be in their plans as a main part of the rotation. Oden will have to show that he can be a part of those plans.

Oden, for his part, seems to understand his peculiar situation. However, that doesn't mean he's not aiming high. In fact, his agent says he wants to play for the Miami Heat. From Barry Jackson for the Miami Herald (via PBT):

There's a 24-year-old free agent center who's affordable, has impressive career rebounding averages and has interest in playing for the Heat eventually once he recovers from his latest knee surgery, according to his agent. The only problem? It's a very big one: He's not healthy and can't seem to stay healthy.

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn't played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready.

The Heat hasn't called but "Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He's not retiring." Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Whether the Heat takes a flyer on Oden or not — and Miami has nothing to lose, really, if or when they ever deem him healthy - the bigger question is this: With limited financial resources, can Pat Riley significantly upgrade at center during the Big Three era?

If Oden can stay healthy, the Heat would be a great fit: they could use a solid defensive center, and wouldn't be asked to do much more than rebound, protect the rim, and catch passes for dunks and lay-ins. Whether or not he's ready to play is another question, and an agent's estimate of his recovery time is obviously going to be more positive than other takes. But it wouldn't be the worst move for Miami.

What's more notable is that Oden is trying to go to one of the league's best teams rather than broadcasting how much he just wants to have a job. It's typically bad to look too desperate in these situations, but middling free agents also need to know their situations. If Oden isn't willing to settle for anything but the best, he might be met with disappointment in free agency.

That process is a ways off, of course, and for all we know there will be legitimate interest from teams with confidence in their training staffs. For now, though, image matters, and Oden would be well-served by displaying his willingness to adapt to circumstances.

AP Source: Bobcats interviewing Ewing Thursday (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Two people familiar with the situation say the Bobcats will interview Orlando assistant Patrick Ewing on Thursday in Charlotte for their vacant head coaching position.

Report: Bobcats to interview Ewing for head coach position

Source: NBA.com

Two people familiar with the situation say the Bobcats will interview Orlando assistant Patrick Ewing on Thursday in Charlotte for their vacant head coaching position.

Is It Time To Break Up The Chicago Bulls?

Source: HoopsWorld by HOOPSWORLD

Some are saying it's time to break up the Bulls, despite their success. HOOPSWORLD's Joel Brigham and Mark Nugent are based in Chicago, and tackle this issue head-on.

Heat regroup, heading to take on confident Pacers (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Indiana's mindset has not changed for several days. The Pacers were confident entering the series, confident after losing Game 1 to the Miami Heat and confident after winning Game 2.

Thunder eyeing 2-0 lead on Lakers in West semifinals

Source: SI.com

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) For a megastar on a tradition-rich franchise with 16 NBA championships, Kobe Bryant has no problem admitting how the Los Angeles Lakers ' shortcomings have popped up repeatedly this season.

LIVE: Celtics, Sixers look for edge in Game 3 of East semis

Source: SI.com

The surprising Sixers managed a split in Boston. Can they take the lead against the Celtics as their Eastern Conference semifinal shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3? Follow all of the action here.

Video: Lakers’ Metta World Peace gets “Punk’d”

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Who sits around and says, “let’s test the patience and restraint of Metta World Peace?” Well, the guys at “Punk’d.” They have World Peace’s publicist in on the deal and they trap World Peace in the parking lot (a common fear in LA), complete with annoying fans wanting photographs and a dim-witted person on the…

CELTICS AT 76ERS, 7 P.M. ET

Source: Ten Before Tip Blog by ajasner

TV: ESPN

• Virtually every Celtics starter is nicked up or hampered physically in some way, but the starting lineup remains intact. “Everybody is good,” coach Doc Rivers said.
• The Celtics plan on starting Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley at guard, Brandon Bass and Paul Pierce at forward and Kevin Garnett at center.
• Pierce, who is playing with a sprained MCL in his left knee, enters Game 3 at Philadelphia shooting just 25 percent — 5-for-20. Pierce is 1-for-6 from beyond the arc with seven turnovers in the first two games. This will be his 119th career playoff game with the Celtics.
• This will be Boston’s first playoff game in Philadelphia since the first round of the 2002 postseason.
• Like the Celtics, the Sixers are banged up, too. Forwards Elton Brand (shoulder, neck) and Thaddeus Young (bruised shin) could have their minutes sliced. ” ‘Dre (Andre Iguodala), I feel can play 42-43 minutes a night,” coach Doug Collins said. “The other guys, I have got to keep my eye on.”
• Probable starters for the Sixers: Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner at guard, Iguodala and Brand at forward and Spencer Hawes at center.
• Rookie forward Lavoy Allen is averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in this series.
• Since scoring 109 points in Game 2 at Chicago in the first round, the Sixers haven’t eclipsed 91 in any of the past six games.

– Andy Jasner

 

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on Forbes World’s Most Powerful Celebrities list

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Eric Freeman

With every passing year, NBA athletes become larger figures on the international scene. They move products as endorsers, influence fashion trends, and lend their cred to new musicians and causes. They're cultural forces, and that means they also matter to businesses.

So, when a finance-minded magazine like Forbes puts out rankings of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities, the inclusion of some athletes isn't a play for diversity. These players do in fact have power. So, let's talk a little about LeBron James (No. 15) and Kobe Bryant (No. 27) making this year's list. Here's the background from Forbes:

It used to be enough for a celebrity to act or sing or swing a bat really well. Now to be considered a real success, he or she needs to sell clothes, hawk fragrances—maybe even invest in technology startups. [...]

With most of our lists we keep it strictly on the money: earnings or net worth. The Celebrity 100 is a little different. This list—which includes film and television actors, TV personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians—is based on money and fame. We define fame as media visibility in print, television, radio and online, plus social media power, which we measure by looking at each celebrity's presence on Facebook and Twitter. The earnings consist of pretax income between May 1, 2011, and May 1, 2012. Management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted. Forbes has been publishing the list annually since 1999.

You can check out the full list here. (Please note that their top pick, Jennifer Lopez, could be leaving her judge role on "American Idol." Whatever the case, her publicist probably deserves a raise.) There are many athletes on the list, though James and Bryant are the only two basketball players. Khloe Kardashian Odom, wife of nominal Dallas Maverick Lamar Odom and reality TV superstar, is also on the list.

The rankings themselves mean little — I have no idea what it tangibly means for LeBron James to be four spots below Taylor Swift, for instance, unless the two battle it out to see who can produce the most believable "surprised reactions" at awards shows. All we really know is that LeBron and Kobe placed highly on the list because they're in the public eye and draw a lot of interest to the NBA and the products they endorse. They're global icons, even if they'd sometimes like to be greater ones, and for a magazine like Forbes that means they're powerful.

The list also serves as a reminder that, for as many great players as there are in the NBA, only a couple really move the needle in a cultural sense. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard are very famous, but they're still a cut below. What we think of those players as people tends to rest on how much we think they feel slighted at not reaching the heights of celebrity. As long as it's secondary to what they do on the court, basketball fans are fine with it.

Harrington undergoes surgery on right knee (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

DENVER (AP) Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington underwent surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday.

Harrington undergoes surgery on right knee

Source: NBA.com

Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington underwent surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday.