Spurs/Grizzlies preview: Game 2 will be closer, but will that be enough for Memphis?

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Game 2 is not going to look like Game 1. Memphis is not going to get its doors blown off from the opening tip as happened in their Game 1 loss. You can expect better pick and roll defense out of Memphis. You can also expect better ball movement and more Zach Randolph. You can…

Bosh ready to make up for lost playoff time vs. Pacers

Source: NBA.com

This is the matchup Chris Bosh wanted in the Eastern Conference finals.

Barclays Center fills arena with perfume

Source: Yardbarker

Looking to help build your brand? As one corporate toucan would say, “Just follow your nose!” According to DNA Info, Barclays Center in Brooklyn pumps its own “signature scent” into the air in an attempt to identify that smell with the arena and help build brand identity. Moreover, this isn’t necessarily a new trend, even in the sports world. The scent is the work of a company called ScentAir, which creates customized smells and provides the technology necessary to spread that scent in a large venue, like, say, a basketball arena. According to DNA Info, similar strategies have been implemented everywhere from the Hershey’s store in Times Square to Cowboys Stadium and Edward Jones Dome. Many fans had noticed the scent wafting around the hallways at Barclays Center, voicing their interest or disapproval on social media. The Barclays’ scent has been described as having citrus hints, possibly akin to a high-end men’s cologne. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Barclays Center

First Cup: Tuesday

Source: TrueHoop

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Prepare for the correction: The Spurs left the AT&T Center after Game 1 uniform in their belief that they were unlikely to make 14 3-pointers again this series. “I’m a math guy,” Matt Bonner said. “It’s highly improbable we’re going to shoot that clip again.” The trick for the Spurs in Game 2 will be to generate offense once the Grizzlies have located their perimeter shooters.

Report: Dwight Howard told Lakers GM he was frustrated with D’Antoni

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

From the start, there was one thing most likely to keep Mike D’Antoni from returning as Lakers coach — free agent Dwight Howard. It may not have been that direct — and it may not change who is the Lakers coach next season — but apparently Howard let Lakers management know exactly how he feels…

Vogel tries to end drummed-up controversy with LeBron

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

We need a game in this series so we can talk about basketball and not this ridiculous game of telephone. As we explained before, LeBron James took umbrage at something a reporter told him Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel said — except Vogel never said it. What Vogel said was, “They’re the next team that’s in…

Durant, athletes tweet support to tornado victims

Source: SI.com

The top five candidates for second best center in the NBA

Source: Pass The Pill by FrankSantos

The post The top five candidates for second best center in the NBA appeared first on Pass The Pill - Kings of Hoops.

Help with Oklahoma tornado relief

Source: NBA.com

The NBA Family's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families following the massive destruction of the tornadoes that swept through the Midwest.

Derrick Rose “mentally preparing” for 2013-2014 preseason schedule

Source: Yardbarker

After a 2012-2013 season full of rehabilitating and mentally preparing, Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose is officially setting the timetable for his triumphant return to the floor. Rose hopes that by this fall, he will be mentally prepared to play in the preseason. Since being cleared in March by team doctors physically, Rose was forced to work on his mental issues for the last two months of the 2012-2013 season. He continually expressed his desire to get back on the court “at some point” during the season, but he failed to log a single minute, despite the Bulls playing their arch-nemesis Miami Heat. This summer, Rose will continue to exercise his mind and build the mental strength needed to compete at the highest level. The mental exercise programs he will go through is said to be similar to SAT preparation courses that high schoolers take. In an ironic twist, this will be the first time Rose will study in this manner, as he had his SAT taken for him while attending Simeon H...

Durant, Thunder players tweet out support for Oklahoma City

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

If you’re like me, you have been transfixed by the tragic events that have unfolded around Oklahoma City on Monday, where a monster tornado has left death and devastation in its wake. The pictures out of schools in that city are heart wrenching. The thoughts of all of us here at PBT are with the…

Vogel clears the air: I have great respect for LBJ

Source: SI.com

Charlotte will announce name change

Source: Yardbarker

Now that the team in New Orleans is changing its name to the Pelicans, Charlotte will announce a change from the Bobcats back to the Hornets on Tuesday.

Report: Prigioni could leave NBA, return to Spain

Source: SI.com

Men report attack after snapping photo of Lillard (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Two brothers allege that people standing near Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard assaulted them after one of the victims took a photo of the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Knicks face many questions heading into 2013-14

Source: SI.com

The Knickstape could see some heavy editing this offseason. While New York had a bounce-back year, its cap issues leave little room for improvement in '13-14, writes Rob Mahoney.

Durant, Thunder offer support for tornado victims

Source: SI.com

Chris Bosh ready to make difference against Pacers

Source: Yardbarker

MIAMI Chris Bosh didnt wait long to get pumped over facing the Indiana Pacers in a playoff rematch from last year. As soon as Indiana won, the Miami Heat big man said Monday. Last time, it was more difficult because (our first) series got pushed out so long (to five games), we didnt know who we were going to play. This time, Indiana took care of business (against New York) when they were supposed to, and we knew who we were playing right away. As soon as we saw Indiana playing us, we said, All right, the enemy has a face. The Heat and Pacers will begin this years Eastern Conference finals at the American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. Miami rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Indiana in six games during last years conference semifinals. Bosh missed most of that series after suffering an abdominal strain in Game 1. Boshs presence this time should be a key factor in Miamis offense. His ability to step out and be a perimeter threat could force Indiana's 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert to leave the pai

Athletes react on Twitter to Oklahoma tornado

Source: Yardbarker

A mile-wide tornado touched down and tore Moore, Oklahoma to shreds. Kevin Durant and a number of superstars tweeted their support for the victims.

GM on Warriors turnaround: “Sense of desperation has passed”

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Just three seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors were a 26-win team with Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette as their two leading scorers — this was a team in need of a radical overhaul. Enter new ownership willing to invest in winning, new players to go with then rookie Stephen Curry, a new coach in…

Worst record offers no lottery guarantees

Source: TrueHoop

Here's a snapshot look at three statistical storylines for Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery, the results of which will be shown on ESPN beginning at 7:30 pm ET. No. 1 usually doesn't go to worst record The Orlando Magic have a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery, the best chance among the 14 teams. Lottery Winners Since 2004 Since the Draft Lottery began in 1985, the Magic have held the No. 1 overall pick three times (Shaquille O’Neal in 1992; Chris Webber in 1993; Dwight Howard in 2004).

Lillard's 'entourage' accused of assault

Source: NBA.com

Two brothers allege that people standing near Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard assaulted them after one of the victims took a photo of the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Hansen congratulates Sacramento on keeping Kings

Source: NBA.com

Investor Chris Hansen has congratulated Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson on his efforts to keep the Kings in California, while also vowing to keep up his pursuit of getting the NBA back to Seattle.

Warriors GM: 'Sense of desperation has passed'

Source: NBA.com

The turnaround has taken place. The total transformation might not be far away.

Hansen congratulates Sacramento on keeping Kings (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

SEATTLE (AP) -- Chris Hansen is not going away in his pursuit of bringing the NBA back to Seattle.

AP Source: Jordan changing team name to Hornets (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A person familiar with the situation says Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets.

Source: Bobcats to become 'Hornets' on Tuesday

Source: SI.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A person familiar with the situation says Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets.

Report: Carmelo set to have shoulder examined

Source: SI.com

Report: Jordan changing Charlotte's name to Hornets

Source: NBA.com

A person familiar with the situation says Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets.

West misses Pacers practice with leg issue, expects to play

Source: NBA.com

Pacers forward David West is expected to play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami, despite an injured right leg.

Draft prospect Deshaun Thomas will not give the San Antonio Spurs his phone number

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Eric Freeman

In the world of professional sports, it's common for draft prospects to throw themselves at the mercy of their prospective employers. With most players having dreamed of making the NBA for as long as they can remember, their natural inclination is to do everything possible to please any team with a chance at drafting them. Any question or request is suitable. It's the best way for a player to prove he's ready to buy into the franchise's culture and long-term plans.

These actions are so prevalent that any example of a player pushing back against a team request deserves notice. Such is the case with forward Deshaun Thomas, who left Ohio State after his junior season.

JR Smith reportedly will sign four-year extension with Knicks

Source: Yardbarker

JR Smith said after the New York Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs on Saturday that he wants to retire as a Knick. We can’t say whether or not he’ll be able to fulfill that wish, but it does look like he’ll be able to remain with the team for a while. The New York Post’s Marc Berman reports that Smith is expected to opt out of his current contract to sign a four-year extension with the team. Berman says that the team could offer Smith around $5 million per season because of their Early Bird rights to him, though we do not know if another team will be able to offer Smith more. Berman also says that Smith and his brother, Chris, who played at Louisville, will be a package deal. Chris Smith was undrafted but played on the Knicks’ Summer League team. He got hurt and was waived before training camp. The Post also says that Chris Smith has changed agents to Carmelo Anthony’s agent, for what that’s worth. Chris Smith seems pretty excited about the potential package deal: I ...

T-Mac Living Dream Beyond First Round

Source: Hang Time Blog by Fran Blinebury

Spurs vs. Grizzlies: Series Hub

SAN ANTONIO – This is the way it was always supposed to be for Tracy McGrady — conference finals, clock running down in the fourth quarter, ball in his hands and the crowd buzzing at the thought of what he might do.

With T-Mac, anything always was possible, and nobody knows that better than the Spurs who were once on the receiving end of 13 points in the final 35 seconds on one mind-boggling night in Houston. Now though, with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili

Grizzlies-Spurs Preview (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Zach Randolph's miserable Western Conference finals debut led to a sleepless night and a long film session.

Warriors GM: 'Sense of desperation has passed' (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The turnaround has taken place. The total transformation might not be far away.

Hansen congratulates Sactown on keeping Kings

Source: SI.com

SEATTLE (AP) -- Investor Chris Hansen has congratulated Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson on his efforts to keep the Kings in California, while also vowing to keep up his pursuit of getting the NBA back to Seattle.

Brothers allege entourage of Damian Lillard beat them for taking his picture

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Kurt Helin

Let’s start out here by saying take this all with a grain of salt. People’s descriptions of fights after a bar closes often do not match reality. But a pair of brothers in Oregon told television station KGW that they snapped a picture of Blazers point guard Damian Lillard walking to his car outside a…

Pacers, Heat Both Learn From ’12 Series

Source: Hang Time Blog by Steve Aschburner

Heat vs. Pacers: Series Hub

Learn from the past or risk repeating it.

That’s sound advice always — the sort of wisdom that saves people from going on second blind dates and reveals how an NBA playoff contender can fix what ailed it in a previous series.

That’s the hope, anyway, of the Indiana Pacers, facing the Miami Heat in the East bracket for the second time in as many postseasons. They’ve been hard at work since eliminating the Knicks Saturday night, breaking down video and plumbing the results of their loss in six games in the conference semifinals last May.

The teams met three times

Brothers allegedly attacked over photo of Lillard

Source: SI.com

Star Power: Must Have One To Win It All?

Source: Hang Time Blog by caplannba

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Can a team built around an All-Star, maybe two, but lacking a legit superstar — i.e. the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies — really win it all?

Memphis general manger Chris Wallace certainly wasn’t trying to suggest that it’s impossible, but the other day as he was ticking off the names of superstar players that have led just nine franchises to championships over the last 33 seasons — since 1980 when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the equation — it became obvious how long the odds are. Teams with a superstar — and more than one all the better — have dominated the league.

“If you look at the

West (leg) misses Pacers practice, expects to play (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Pacers forward David West is expected to play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami, despite an injured right leg.

Barclays Center sprays “signature scent” through arena vents

Source: Pass The Pill by PTP Staff

(Credit: Washinton Post)

Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, is filled with modern day luxuries to enhance the game day experience for fans. After all, they are trying to one up the New York Knicks in every facet for New York City supremacy. Almost every new arena has amazing features. But Barclays Center is going one step further, as apparently the area vents pump out a “signature scent.”

Via

Knicks say they need time, not an overhaul

Source: NBA.com

Some of the players were old, though the New York Knicks say their team is young in its development.

Knicks say they need time, not an overhaul (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -- Some of the players were old, though the New York Knicks say their team is young in its development.

Report: Nets ‘honing in on Lionel Hollins’

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Dan Feldman

Would the Nets wait to hire a coach until Memphis is eliminated from the playoffs just so they can make a run at Lionel Hollins, whose contract expires after the season? If Scott Skiles is a top alternative, patience could make sense. What’s there to lose? Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times: Some NBA officials…

Bosh aiming to be impactful for Heat against Pacers

Source: NBA.com

This is the matchup Chris Bosh wanted in the Eastern Conference finals.

Report: Scott Skiles makes Nets’ short list

Source: ProBasketballTalk by Dan Feldman

The Nets were surely dejected when Phil Jackson turned them down, so it seems they want at least one coaching candidate who’s extremely unlikely to reject them. Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (hat tip: Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball): the Nets also have put Scott Skiles on their short list. Skiles was fired…

J.R. Smith wants to retire as a New York Knick, is maybe not built for such a thing

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Eric Freeman

Pending free agent J.R. Smith has been an enigma since entering the NBA in 2005. On the basis of pure talent, he should be one of the top wing producers in the league, and he often looks like exactly that. Yet Smith has never managed to put together a consistent string of performances to prove himself worthy of making him the cornerstone of a franchise.

He got closest this season with the New York Knicks, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors and receiving standard-issue statements from media and team officials regarding his improved maturity. In true J.R. fashion, he followed that career peak with a sort of greatest hits compilation of his worst tendencies, to the point where many Knicks fans begged for head coach Mike

Barclays Center pumps in a ‘signature scent’ for its patrons to enjoy during Brooklyn Nets games

Source: Ball Don't Lie by Kelly Dwyer

The Brooklyn Nets just about define the superficial experience. The team was put together by a billionaire owner that promised a championship in spite of a lacking basketball resume, before tossing tens of millions of dollars at a general manager in Billy King who has long made a habit of going after the biggest names available. Part-owner Jay-Z helped shape the team’s look and image, despite only owning a small percentage of the team, and not even making it out of the franchise’s first year before selling his shares. And the team’s arena, the Barclays Center,

Bosh aiming to be impactful against Pacers (Yahoo! Sports)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

MIAMI (AP) -- This is the matchup Chris Bosh wanted in the Eastern Conference finals.