Basketball News Brief

Glen

2009-08-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sports contracts include all sorts of bonuses in order to incentivize behavior, but this one caught my attention:

The Boston Celtics are bringing back Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who agreed to a two-year deal that could pay $6 million . . . Davis will receive $5 million in base salary and can earn an additional 500,000 per season for meeting certain weight clauses, a source told ESPN.com's Chad Ford.

Davis, of course, has a history of weight problems, which may partly explain why he fell out of the first round in the 2007 NBA Draft and also why he struggled to attract much interest as a free agent this off-season (another reason is his height relative to position -- 6'6 power forwards usually aren't coveted).

The incentives in his contract suggest that Davis believes his weight woes are his own fault, or at least primarily his fault, rather than the fault of unusual metabolism or something else that would be beyond his control. After-all, if he thought his weight problems were beyond his control, then he presumably wouldn't ascribe much value to the incentive.

With obesity rates soaring in the U.S., it will be interesting to see if more athletes encounter weight woes and if, correspond! ingly, t eams turn to $$ as a way of discouraging players from putting on the pounds.

Celtics Get A Steal With Marquis Daniels and His Tattoos

2009-07-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

Whenever this silly sign in trade is done, the Celtics will already have a better squad then the championship team. The players from what I hear ranges from Tony Allen, Billy Walker, Brian Scalabrine, and Gabe Pruitt. None of those guys are or have been any impact on the team since joining. If anyone wants to argue than, yes, Scal logged some solid minutes in the playoffs and what have you, but the guy was and will continue to be a joke.

With the addition of Wallace and now Daniels that gives us already one hell of a bench. Daniels is a very verastile player, who can play the 1-3 positions. Gets about a fifth of his offensive from each of fast break opportunities, pick and rolls, and spot ups. Shows solid one-on-one skills as well. Decent jump shot. Doesnât show ideal follow through. Wonât hit many three pointers, but heâll take them when he is open. As for his defense he an guard the 1-3 positions, but is best matched up against 2s, or smaller small forwards. Is excellent out on the perimeter and has a great motor.

As much as I loved Bill Walker and Tony Allen, I will take Daniels in a second over them. He is the real deal and although Boston fans know that they are getting a stud in Daniels, this will be one of the most overlooked deals by the rest of the NBA, until you know, playoff time.

Orlando Magic Sign Brandon Bass

2009-07-11T17:57:00.001-07:00

With Hedo Turkoglu opening up the small forward spot with his departure, the Orlando Magic have been in search of a body to plug in to the starting lineup. It now looks like the open position will be filled by one of their own â" Rashard Lewis. After signing former Dallas Maverick Brandon Bass, Lewis will shift over with Bass most likely becoming the starting power forward.

Bass is a four-year veteran who is only 24 years old. After seeing his minutes increase when he came to the Mavericks two years ago, Bass has become a much better all-around player. In only around 19 minutes per game the past two seasons, he has averaged about 8.5 points per game. Bass has also become a good free throw shooter and can provide the Magic with a big body to battle for rebounds down low. Overall, a good pickup for Orlando at $18 million over four years.

NBA Weekly: Ron Artest Signs With Lakers, Zach Randolph Traded To Grizzlies, Celtics Make Offer To Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson, Pistons, & More

2009-07-03T14:03:00.001-07:00

Ron Artest Signs With Lakers

The Lakers made a huge splash this week by signing Ron Artest instead of re-signing Trevor Ariza. This move caught many by surprise including myself, since it looked like the Lakers were going to re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza and keep this year's championship team together. The move to sign Artest shows that the Lakers are in a win now mode and are trying to build a dynasty around Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and now Ron Artest. There's no doubt that while order than Ariza, Artest is a better offensive player than Ariza is. Defensively I'm not sure Artest is still head and shoulders above Ariza, so there might not be an upgrade there, but he will definitely provide more consistency to the SF position for the Lakers. I also think this move was specifically made with the Celtics and Paul Pierce in mind. Pierce has notoriously struggled mightily when squaring off against Artest and with the Celtics healthy again next season it's very much possible that we could be seeing another Celtics/Lakers finals. I think Artest could give the Lakers some added toughness to match up against the Celtics.

Boston Celtics Offer Rasheed Wallace Contract

Speaking of the Celtics, if they do face off against the Lakers in the NBA Finals next season, not only wi! ll Ron A rtest be on the court, but it's possible that Rasheed Wallace may be as well. The Celtics have offered Rasheed Wallace the mid-level exception in hopes of luring him to Boston. I am personally drooling over the entertainment value of Rasheed Wallace and KG playing on the same team along with Kendrick Perkins. That would be one tough front court with a ton of attitude and nastiness. Not only that, but a Celtics/Lakers series with KG, Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Kobe, Pau, Odom and now possibly Artest and Rasheed would most definitely be a classic and a true matchup of titans. If Rasheed does sign with the Celtics, he would actually be coming off the bench and would probably see a lot of minutes subbing for Perkins. He would also probably see minutes at the 3 and 4. The Celtics wouldn't need much scoring from Wallace, which is perfect because he's never excelled at being one of the main guys, and he could then focus on defense, rebounding, and knocking down open three's. Think of him as a bigger version of James Posey.

In other Celtics news, Big Baby has the Pistons, Spurs, and Knicks interested in him and it looks like it's possible that Big Baby, Leon Powe, and Stephon Marbury may all not be back with them. That would probably leave some room for the Celtics to make a few other moves. A backup point guard would definitely be high on that list if they lose Marbury who just declined their latest offer and has said that he has three other teams interested in him.

Zach Randolph Traded To Memphis Grizzlies

So the Clippers did the right thing by moving Zach Randolph and creating more playing time for Blake Griffin. This is the major impact of this move, but I also think the Grizzlies will do alright by having Randolph on their team. His weakness is defensively, but that might not hurt the Grizzlies as much if Hasheem Thabeet is able to be a force on the defensive end in the paint. I don't expect the Grizzlies to be a winning team ! next sea son, but they definitely have a decent group of young players. I do have a few issues with their squad though. The first is that I don't really think Zach Randolph is going to help them in their rebuilding process, but I think since his contract expires after the 2011 season, then the Grizzlies will probably just hang onto him for this season and then flip him and his expiring contract next year.

The second problem I have with the Grizzlies is that while they have a decent group of young players in O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, & Hasheem Thabeet; I don't feel like any of those guys is a superstar type player that can win you a championship. Mayo should improve, but he is probably a 2nd option at best and Gay is probably a 3rd option. I think Conley is going to be good enough to be a solid PG on a championship caliber team and Thabeet if he's solid defensively is a nice part to have as well. However, at some point it may make sense for the Grizzlies to try and flip Mayo or Gay or maybe even both for a superstar type player who could help them win a championship. That of course would be a few years down the line, but if that doesn't happen then I could see this team peaking as perennial 4 or 5 seed that just doesn't have enough to win it all.

Houston Rockets

A rough week for the Houston Rockets, who found out that they most likely may be without Yao Ming next season and possibly forever if his injury is indeed career ending. They also lost one of their better players in Ron Artest to the Lakers and replaced him with a less consistent offensive player in Trevor Ariza. I know we all severely underrated this team last season, especially in the playoffs against the Lakers, but they just keep losing more and more scoring and at some point you have to figure they won't be able to sustain their success. Certainly a healthy Tracy McGrady would improve the offense, but there are no guarantees that McGrady will be healthy for ! a full s eason. I have to wonder what direction this franchise is heading in and if they are just trying to make the playoffs instead of shooting for an NBA title. It's great to find all these bargins and sleeper players like Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry, but if you don't surround them with superstars then it really doesn't accomplish anything.

Allen Iverson

There has been talk that Iverson may be forced into retirement because no team is going to be willing to pay him what he probably want. Iverson will probably be forced to take somebodies mid-level exception and I think that is what will eventually happen instead of AI retiring. The Bulls and Heat are two teams that are said to be interested in Iverson, who you would imagine might prefer to play in Miami next to Dwyane Wade. However, it's been reported that Iverson wants to play for the Grizzlies next season, which makes no sense to me for either Iverson or the Grizzlies.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons wasted no time in free agency signing two former UConn Huskies, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Both of them are solid offensively and can score in bunches, but they also are not the best defensive players, and I think that hurts their value to their team. I don't really think they are a good fit for what what Detroit already has on their roster as well, so I would expect the Pistons to be making a few more moves during the offseason. Rip Hamilton and Tashaun Prince could definitely be changing teams in the near future.

Other NBA News

- Marcin Gortat reached an agreement with the Dallas Mavericks and should be an excellent addition to their squad. Gortat really played well off the bench for the Magic last season and he should give the Mavs some more toughness downlow. This could also allow the Mavericks to package the expiring salaries of! Erick D ampier and Jerry Stackhouse in a trade.

- Josh Childress is back on the NBA free agent scene and has visited with the Milwaukee Bucks this week. He could be a decent pickup for a playoff caliber team, but I don't see him making much sense for the Bucks.

- The Raptors have been trying to acquire David Lee, so that's something to keep an eye on. The Grizzlies were interested in Lee too, but decided to trade for Zach Randolph instead after they found out how much money Lee was looking for.

- Jason Kidd is a hot commodity right now as both the Mavs and Knicks are looking to offer him 3-year deals, which seems insane considering he's at least 3 years past his prime already. It's even more insane for the Knicks, who should be in rebuilding/save money for Lebron mode.

- Cleveland has some interest in Shawn Marion and also Anthony Parker and Linas Kleiza, who would all be solid additions to the Cavs.

More: NBA Weekly

Bill Simmons: NBA GM?

2009-06-28T16:32:00.001-07:00

I recently wrote an article over at Gunaxin.com about Bill Simmons, "The Sports Guy," possibly becoming an NBA GM. It's more of a "What could happen if he ever landed his supreme gig." It deals with some of his "theories" and his obsession with things like "The Real World" and "Teen Wolf."

If you're interested in reading it, Clck Here for "Bill Simmons: NBA GM?

Kobe Bryant to Stay with the Los Angeles Lakers

2009-06-20T18:34:00.001-07:00

No one will be surprised if LeBron James is playing somewhere other than Cleveland in a couple of years. And no one should be surprised at all by the announcement that Kobe Bryant will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. Because, honestly, why would he leave?

Bryant can opt out of the final two years of his current contract on July 1. And he probably will. Or at least, he probably should. But as for actually signing elsewhereâ¦no sir.

Kobe has everything going for him at the moment. Heâs on top of the world after finally winning a title without Shaquille OâNeal. In 13 years, Bryant has won four championships and played in the NBA Finals six times. In the! last 13 years, Iâve attended three NBA games and almost caught a headband thrown into the crowd by then Los Angeles Clipper James Singleton. Weâre basically the same person. Anywhoâ¦even if Bryant opts out, donât expect him to realistically even flirt with any other teams. Heâs a Laker and will continue to be one.

Lakers Win

2009-06-15T12:04:00.001-07:00

After the Lakers blew away the Magic in the first game I wanted to write a post announcing that the series was over. No way the Magic beat the Lakers. I resisted because, as Yogi says, it ain't over till it's over. I also resisted crowing when the Lakers won the second game and went up 2-0. It's hard for a team to come back after losing the first two games.

The fourth game was pivotal. The Lakers went into it with a two games to one edge. If the Magic win that game, the series is tied, 2-2. But the Lakers won in overtime, making it 3-1. The difference between 3-1 and 2-2 is immense. At 2-2, it's a best two out of three series. At 3-1, the team with one win is facing elimination and has to win the next three in a row. But I kept my quiet after game four because of what Yogi says.

Okay, now it's over. Hollywood beat Disneyworld. It took the Lakers five games to beat the Magic. The Magic lived by the three-point shot and died by it.

Dwight Howard, the Magic's center, is the best center in the game, but he has never shown that he deserves to be ranked among the best of all time. Sometimes he disappears in games. He has a million dollar smile -- he really should try acting -- but it's still a question whether he has the toughness and will to be a champion. His Superman dunk in last year's all star game was, as the kids say, sick. At best he might end up basketball's Ted Williams -- a great player whose best moment was in an all star game. (Or in the slam dunk contest on all star game weekend.)

Kobe Bryant proved he has what it takes to be a champion. He will be considered one of the very best that ever played the game when his career is all over. If he stays healthy and productive for another five years, his points total will approach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,000 and some.

Phil Jackson won his 10th ring as a head coach. Derek Fisher was asked what makes Jackson a great coach. He said someth! ing to t he effect that he's not a dictator. He leaves you free to be you and make your own choices. Oddly enough, that's exactly what I like in a stage director. I hate the directors who have all my blocking plotted out before the first read-through.

The Lakers got a little lucky this year. Both Yao Ming of Houston and Kevin Garnett of Boston were injured in the playoffs. A healthy Boston is a much harder team to beat than Orlando. It would be great to see the Lakers beat the Celtics for the championship next year.

The Lakers also got a little lucky when they picked up Trevor Ariza. I think they made that trade mostly because they wanted to dump Maurice Evans and Brian Cook. Ariza looked like he would be a guy who comes off the bench in defensive situations. He played so well that he became a starter. He defends well, he can shoot the three as well as drive to the basket and dunk, and he is the most talented thief in the game. I've never seen anyone steal the ball as well as Ariza.

Maybe the Lakers also got a little bit lucky when they picked up Pau Gasol, the most skilled seven-footer in the league, for, like, nothing. But as either Branch Rickey or Winston Churchill once said -- I've seen the quote attributed to both -- luck is the residue of design. Give General Manager Mitch Kupchak his due.

It's amazing where the Lakers are today, considering the disarray they were in just two years ago, with Kobe demanding a trade.

Next year the Lakers are the team to beat. Every place they go on the road will sell out their seating all the way to those nose bleed seats next to the air conditioning ducts. The opposing teams will play at their adrenaline-fueled best against the champs. The 2009-2010 season will be a gauntlet that will leave the Lakers lean and mean for the playoffs.

The dynasty began tonight.

A Shaq In The Hand's More Than 2 In the Bosh

2009-06-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

Plastered on ESPNEWS rolling ticker this morning is the sentence: "Shaquille O'Neal to Cavaliers trade talks heating up."

ESPN's Chris Brossard reported this morning on Sportscenter that the trade deadline talks that spurned rumors of Shaq teaming up with LeBron earlier this season never actually died, and are currently gaining new momentum. While he noted that the deal is not imminent, from all indications former teammates Steve Kerr (Suns GM) and Danny Ferry are certainly talking about the possibilities of it.

Waiting For Next Year while supporting the possible move, posted on this subject this morning saying in part: "...the trade would essentially tie up the Cavs roster for the year and hinder their ability to make any sort of trade during the season (like say...Chris Bosh). This would most likely be the final product we go to war with next postseason..."

Details of the trade involve the Cavaliers moving Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to make way for the Big Fella.

While it is certainly true, that trading for Shaq and his $20 mil price tag would prevent other possible moves as the offseason and season move forward - specifically the aforementioned Bosh - that really shouldn't matter at this point. You can argue that the Cavaliers are not 'desperate' to improve their roster at this point, but there is no denying the fact that the sense of urgency is at an all-time high.

If you want to argue that Bosh is a better move than Shaq, I'll give you that. But how real is it? I don't see how the Cavaliers could wait on an opportunity like that (Bosh) presenting itself, when it may never come. If this Shaq deal, or a variation of it, presents itself, there is no way that Cleveland cannot make t! hat move . Shaq makes you better right now, and there is no more time to wait on that. It's all in time for Cleveland, and I'll take my chances on the 37-old Shaq.

Finals far from done...

2009-06-09T13:00:00.001-07:00

Here are excerpts from a column from cbssports.com columnist Gregg Doyel from Monday:

ORLANDO -- Why is everyone in such a hurry to write off the NBA Finals? Game 3 doesn't tip off until Tuesday night, but if we are to believe what we read, Game 3 is a waste of time. A formality. A condescending 48-minute exercise bestowed upon Orlando to let the Magic make some money in ticket and concession sales.

I'm talking to everyone who has decided this series ended with Game 2, which the Lakers won to build their series edge to 2-0.

The point is, nothing about Game 2 would say, or even suggest, that this series is over. Just the opposite. After Game 1 indicated Los Angeles was out of Orlando's league, Game 2 went the other way. Game 2 showed a Magic team more than capable of playing with the Lakers, and even of beating the Lakers. Yes, Courtney Lee, we're all looking at you.

For some reason, the Lakers lucked out a win in Game 2 ... and people line up to crown them. Like this series is over or something.

Isn't a 2-0 series edge what the Lakers are supposed to have right now?

I would like to point out -- but the Magic showed enough moxie Sunday night in Los Angeles to make it clear that they can win two or even three games in Orlando. And if this series goes back to Los Angeles for Games 6 and 7, even if the Lakers are ahead 3-2, all the pressure ! would be on Los Angeles. Winning one lousy game out of two, at home, would become a referendum on the genius of Phil Jackson and the leadership of Kobe Bryant and the manhood, such as it is, of Pau Gasol. That's pressure.

Only Orlando has the wherewithal to get better from here. Jameer Nelson could play better as he works off the rust, or he could go back to the inactive list in an effort by coach Stan Van Gundy to recapture the chemistry that helped Orlando manhandle Cleveland. Rafer Alston can't play any worse. Mickael Pietrus can't be called for more phantom fouls than in Los Angeles. Dwight Howard won't be held in check offensively throughout this series.

The Magic have more moving parts, is my point. Los Angeles is steady. Kobe has been Kobe. Gasol has played (surprisingly) well. Same with Lamar Odom. Andrew Bynum hasn't done squat, but he hasn't done squat in months. No reason to believe he'll start doing squat now.

Am I predicting a 2009 NBA title for Orlando? I am not.

But is this series as "over" as people are saying?

It is not.

Click here for the complete column.

Here is the complete preview of Game 3 from Yahoo! Sports

The Magic are 4 point favorites

Coverage begins at 9 PM Eastern on ABC.

Cover boy Kobe Bryant loves to play games

2009-06-06T12:21:00.001-07:00

Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers, star will be the cover athlete for 2K Sports' NBA 2K10.

After leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a remarkable 65-17 regular season record and a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals, Bryant has established himself as one of the best players in the game.

âIâve been playing sports video games for as long as I can remember and honestly, Iâve never seen one come so close to replicating real basketball," Bryant said. "What 2K Sports has done is truly incredible. (They are) constantly improving and adding something new to their game every year that makes them better and better, and thatâs exactly what I try to do each season with my game. Itâs as if 2K Sports has been on a sports video game championship run for several years now, and Iâm not even sure thereâs a word for that kind of dominance.â

To support this announcement, 2K Sports brought on legendary, award-winning film director and die-hard New York Knicks fan, Spike Lee, to produce an exclusive TV spot that aired Wednesday night to reveal Kobe Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10. Lee, who recently directed the highly publicized documentary on Kobe Bryant, Kobe Doinâ Work (ESPN Films), is famously known for his intense love and passion for the game of basketball.

âIt's quite obvious why 2K Sports put Kobe Bryant on the cover of NBA 2K10, which is the best NBA video game,â said Lee, whose recent documentary on Bryant has earned high praise. âOne day Kobe and I will go 1 on 1 playing NBA 2K10.â

In conjunction with the reveal of Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, 2K Sports will invite fans to vote on their choice for the official box cover. A dedicated voting site will offer fans a selection of NBA 2K10 box covers to choose from, and the voting period is open now through June 15. The box cover that receives the most votes at the end of the voting period will be unveiled as the cover of NBA 2K10 on June 16th. More ! informat ion on voting can be found at the official NBA 2K10 voting site, www.2ksports.com/vote.

FW: TV Sports A Van Gundy Coaches, and Another Squirms - New York Times

2009-06-04T11:42:00.001-07:00

Feed: sports
Posted on: Thursday, June 04, 2009 12:06 AM
Author: sports - Google News
Subject: TV Sports A Van Gundy Coaches, and Another Squirms - New York Times

Los Angeles Times

Error! Filename not specified.

TV Sports A Van Gundy Coaches, and Another Squirms
New York Times, United States
By RICHARD SANDOMIR When Orlando meets the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals starting Thursday, Jeff Van Gundy, the ABC analyst, will need to deal with the presence of his older brother, Stan, the Magic's coach. Jeff can barely bear to watch Stan ...
L ose the muzzle, Jeff Van Gundy Yahoo! Sports
all 294 news articles

View article...

2009 NBA Playoffs: Lebron James Hits Game Winning Shot vs Orlando Magic (Video)

2009-05-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

Lebron's Game 2 game winner could have saved the Cavs season.

More: NBA & NBA Playoffs

No Celtics-Lakers Re-Match

2009-05-18T07:11:00.001-07:00

There will be no re-match between the Celtics and Lakers this year. Kobe and the Lakers did their job, taking down the Rockets 89-70. Bryant put in 14 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and most importantly, only one turnover. Orlando meanwhile ended Boston's repear hopes. The Magic completed the comeback with a 101-82 blowout win.

Hundreds turn out to mourn Hall of Fame coach Daly

2009-05-13T20:46:00.001-07:00

TEQUESTA, Fla. – Chuck Daly's team gathered around him one last time. Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn were side by side on one end, Joe Dumars on the right, Isiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson standing together a few feet back.

The Bad Boys were together again, not as players but pallbearers who gave their coach a sad, fond farewell.

"He was coaching all of us until the day he died," Thomas said. "He was a wonderful, wonderful human being and a great mentor, a great friend."

Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to the Hall of Fame coach Wednesday, including close friends like Billy Cunningham and Rollie Massimino, players from his 1989 and 1990 Detroit Pistons teams that won NBA titles, and even Rick Carlisle — a former Daly assistant who served as a pallbearer even though his Dallas Mavericks faced playoff elimination later that night.

Here's how much Daly meant to Carlisle: His team was in Denver, a playoff game was six hours away, and Carlisle was still in South Florida, helping carry his mentor out of the church.

"Missing this was not an option," Carlisle said as he walked briskly to a car that would take him to a waiting plane. He arrived in plenty of time for tipoff of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Daly, 78, died Saturday in Jupiter, Fla., just north of West Palm Beach. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, spent his final weeks in rapidly diminishing health and often surrounded by friends and family.

His funeral was a veritable who's-who of basketball — players from his so-called "Bad Boys" Pistons teams were among the pallbearers — and the tribute was fitting. Many walked into the church dabbing handkerchiefs at their eyes; many of the same were laughing 90 minutes later after hearing stories of Daly's famed pessimistic, charming personality.

"Coach. Daddy Rich. Prince of pessimism. Hall of Famer. Champion," Daly's daughter, Cydney, told mourners. "He went by many different names to many people, but there was only one person who called him daddy."

Daly coached parts of 22 seasons at the NBA and NCAA levels, winning more than 61 percent of his games along the way. His legacy best revolves around a four-year stretch from 1988 through 1992, when he won what essentially were three world championships — the pair of NBA titles with the Pistons, then Olympic gold in Barcelona with the Dream Team.

It was never in doubt: Daly's team romped to victory in every game at those Olympics. And even as the cancer grew and his health worsened in recent weeks, Daly — who took great delight from the "CD" lapel pins NBA coaches and broadcasters are wearing during this season's playoffs, which were dedicated to him — was still coaching.

Only a few weeks ago, Daly watched an NCAA regional game between Villanova and Pittsburgh. He took notes on the way Villanova played, pointing out some flaws in the Wildcats' late-game execution, and summoned Massimino — a former Wildcats coach — to deliver them to the current Villanova staff.

Massimino recalled Daly saying, "Take this to Jay Wright and tell him to smarten up."

That wasn't harsh. That was Daly.

And when Massimino delivered that story Wednesday, the church broke into laughter.

"It's not a good day," said Laimbeer, his eyes reddened. "But it's also a day of celebration because everybody got up and spoke about what a great man Chuck was. And they were right."

NBA commissioner David Stern was in attendance, as was current Pistons coach Michael Curry, former Pistons player John Salley — who gave Daly the "Daddy Rich" nickname in a nod to his tailored, ultra-expensive suits — and several members of the Miami Heat organization, including Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, former Daly assistant Ron Rothstein and team president Pat Riley.

As he walked away from the church, Riley pulled on a pair of sunglasses to mask his tears.

"I think we all aspired to be like him," he said, softly. "We couldn't."

Kidd dishes Mavs past Suns in crucial West matchup

2009-04-06T14:12:00.001-07:00

DALLAS – Rick Carlisle often warns his players to "never underestimate greatness at any age," a reminder that even a guy on the downside of his career can flash his Hall of Fame credentials at any time.

Jason Kidd sure backed up his coach's saying Sunday.

On the afternoon he passed Magic Johnson for No. 3 on the career assists list, Kidd dished out a season-high 20, scored 19 points and sent the Dallas Mavericks to a 140-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday that pretty much cleared up the playoff picture for both teams.

Oh, and he did it in three quarters.

"The biggest thing is that we had fun in a big game," Kidd said. "And when we do that, we are dangerous."

Had the Suns won, the Mavs would've had only a two-game lead and a worrisome slump, while Phoenix would've been on a nice roll and had the advantage of an easier schedule the rest of the way. But now Dallas owns a four-game lead with five games left. The Mavs would have to lose them all, and the Suns win all of theirs, for the teams to trade places in the standings.

Put another way, any Dallas win or Phoenix loss clinches a ninth straight postseason trip for the Mavericks and ends a streak of four straight for the Suns.

"We're not holding our breath," Phoenix guard Steve Nash said.

Dallas players have been saying for weeks that they're focused on moving up to the seventh spot to avoid a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. They'll get a great chance in their next game, when Utah, currently seeded seventh, visits Wednesday night, then face a stiff challenge with a home-and-home series against New Orleans.

"It should be a fun week," said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 28 points.

Kidd came in 13 assists behind Johnson. After dishing out eight in the first quarter, the milestone came into reach. He had four during a 24-3 spurt that broke the game open, then four more in the final few minutes of the half, capped by an inbound pass to Josh Howard that resulted in a 71-foot basket and a whopping 81 first-half points.

Kidd finished the game with 10,148 career assists, 187 behind Mark Jackson. John Stockton is the record holder with 15,806.

"I don't think it's in reach," Kidd said. "That's another 5,000. I need somebody (else's) assists to get there. I think that (record) is going to be there a while."

Cavaliers 101, Spurs 81

At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 38 points, Mo Williams and Delonte West added 22 apiece as the Cavaliers, the NBA's best home team, avoided their first three-game losing streak.

Cleveland, which improved to 37-1 at home, would match the 1985-86 Boston Celtics (40-1) for the best home record in NBA history if it can win its final three home games.

Tony Parker scored 24 for San Antonio.

Pistons 104, Bobcats 97

At Auburn Hills, Mich., Will Bynum scored a franchise-record 26 points in the fourth quarter to put the Pistons a step closer to locking up the final playoff spot in the East.

Bynum finished with a career-high 32 points and also had seven assists. He made all six of his field-goal attempts and went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line in the fourth.

D.J. Augustin led Charlotte with 22 points.

Knicks 112, Raptors 103

At Toronto, Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, David Lee added 16 points and 10 rebounds and New York eliminated the Raptors from the playoffs. It came one day after the Knicks saw their postseason hopes end with a 102-95 home loss to the Raptors.

The Knicks had not won in Toronto since March 5, 2004, a span of nine games.

Chris Bosh had 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors.

Jazz 108, Hornets 94

At New Orleans, Ronnie Brewer scored 23 points and Utah clinched a playoff spot after completing a convincing season sweep of the Hornets.

David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans.

Nuggets 110, Timberwolves 87

At Minneapolis, Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Denver won their seventh straight.

The Nuggets extended their lead to two games over San Antonio for the No. 2 seed in the West after the Spurs lost to Cleveland earlier in the day.

Rockets 102, Trail Blazers 88

At Houston, Yao Ming had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Rockets past Portland, just hours after the Trail Blazers got their first playoff berth since 2003 when Dallas beat Phoenix.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and nine rebounds for Portland.

Nets 96, 76ers 67

At East Rutherford, N.J., Vince Carter scored 15 points and the Nets kept their slim playoff hopes alive by handing the 76ers their worst loss of the season.

Lou Williams had 14 points to lead the 76ers.

Pacers 117, Thunder 99

At Oklahoma City, Danny Granger scored 24 points, Troy Murphy added 22 points and nine rebounds for playoff-hopeful Indiana.

Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 25 points.

Warriors 105, Kings 100

At Sacramento, Calif., Kelenna Azubuike had 30 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, and Golden State hung on to win with seven healthy players.

Jamal Crawford had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors in their third straight victory, including two wins in five days over the Kings.

Lakers 88, Clippers 85

At Los Angeles, Lamar Odom had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Kobe Bryant added 18 points and the Lakers remained a game behind Cleveland for the NBA's best record.

Eric Gordon scored 24 points for the Clippers, who've lost 12 of their last 15.

Wade, Heat beat Bobcats 97-92 to reach playoffs

2009-04-03T20:42:00.001-07:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A year ago, the Miami Heat couldn't wait to finish a horrendous, injury-plagued season. Now Dwyane Wade and his young teammates plan to be playing deep into the spring thanks to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history.

As usual, Wade led the Heat's latest milestone, scoring 27 points and dishing out 10 assists on Friday night as Miami clinched a playoff berth with a 97-92 comeback victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

A year after going 15-67, the Heat joined the 1968-69 San Diego Rockets — a team that included Heat president Pat Riley — as the second NBA team to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before. The Rockets also recovered from a 15-67 disaster.

"It's a huge accomplishment for this team," Wade said, "to come back after that season and not really make huge, huge changes."

Wade, whose injuries derailed last season, made three free throws in the final 19 seconds as the Heat recovered from an early 15-point deficit. Charlotte's Raymond Felton then missed a tying 3-point attempt with 5 seconds left as the Bobcats suffered a damaging loss to their own playoff hopes.

The Bobcats, who lost guard Raja Bell to a right calf injury in the third quarter, fell two games behind idle Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We can't lose anymore at this point," Felton said. "Every game is a critical game. Six more, we've got to go 6-0."

Daequan Cook, who added 16 points for Miami, hit the two clinching free throws after Felton's miss. Michael Beasley, returning after twisting his right ankle, scored 14 points and hit a jumper with 1:45 left that put Miami ahead 90-87.

The rookie then blocked D.J. Augustin's driving layup at the other end, one of several miscues for Charlotte in its second straight frustrating loss — and perhaps a costly one for its rotation.

"Raja said his calf popped," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. "So I imagine it's going to be a while."

The Heat moved within one percentage point of Philadelphia for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a spot that would avoid a first-round matchup with either Boston or Orlando.

The only negative for Miami was Udonis Haslem. The forward cut his right thumb on the backboard defending Gerald Wallace's driving layup attempt late in the third quarter. Haslem, who needed six stitches, was wearing a splint after the game and hinted he could be out for a week or more.

"I definitely can't play with six stitches in my shooting hand," Haslem said.

But Haslem, who still has a bandage above his left eye after receiving seven stitches in a game Monday, vowed to be ready for the postseason after living through last season's nightmare.

"That just says a lot about the guys that we're here last year who kind of came back with a chip on their shoulders," Haslem said. "It says a lot about the young guys who followed our lead."

Things were much more somber in Charlotte's locker room. Like in their double-overtime loss to Boston on Wednesday, the Bobcats were on the short end of the free-throw count. The Heat had 24 attempts to Charlotte's 12, including 16-0 in the fourth quarter.

"It's very frustrating," said Wallace, who led the Bobcats with 21 points. "You always look at the last two minutes of the game, we don't get the calls. ... But when you look back at it, it's always because of us. It's nothing the referees are doing."

The Heat took an 88-83 lead with 3:05 left when Wade scored five straight points. Felton then scored four in a row before Beasley's jumper. Felton missed a driving layup attempt with about 30 seconds left and Charlotte trailing 92-89, setting up the first two of Wade's clutch free throws

Charlotte, wearing green jerseys as part of an NBA promotion to raise awareness for recycling, raced to a 24-9 lead by scoring easily in transition and pouncing on Miami's six early turnovers. But the Heat rallied in the second quarter when the Bobcats got sloppy, and Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer in the final second made it 45-all at halftime.

The Heat recovered to win on the road for only the fourth time in 16 games to celebrate a return to the postseason.

"It's a big step for our franchise and for Pat Riley and (managing partner) Micky Arison," first-year coach Erik Spoelstra said. "To put this team together after last season, it's a big step. ... With that said, we don't want to stop just with this."

Notes:@ A specialist determined Heat G Luther Head won't need surgery on his broken left hand, but will be fitted with a cast and will still miss 4-6 weeks. ... With the Bobcats playing at Detroit on Sunday, ex-North Carolina players Felton and Sean May, and Connecticut product Emeka Okafor were planning to watch their old teams in the Final Four on Saturday night at Ford Field. Brown, a Tar Heel alumnus who is also close to Villanova coach Jay Wright, doesn't plan to watch that matchup in person. "That would be a hard game for me to sit through," Brown said.

Utah Jazz Vs. NY Knickerbockers

2009-03-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

Quick Quick who leads the league in Double Doubles. I Know I Know it's Dwight Howard. You are absolutely wrong, it's David Lee(who I would love to sign) from the New York Knickerbockers. One of the reasons for this is because of the fast paced game the Knicks play.

The Jazz have struggled with fast-paced high-possession teams this year and more recently our two games against the Suns showed a lot of our weaknesses.

Transition Defense, Scoring on the Zone, and Uptempo play.
The Knicks will exploit these weaknesses even more than the suns did the Knicks just don't have as much talent as the Suns so the probably won't win. Everything that the suns do was the brain child of now Knick Coach Mike D'Antoni. You can assume that he watched the film from the past two games and will use our weaknesses against us.

Predictions-

4 Jazz players will have double doubles

Deron will have close to thirty points 27-28.

Boozer will not be sitting at the end of this game.

Jazz win by 6

Wallace scores 25, Bobcats beat Raptors 112-86

2009-03-16T18:42:00.001-07:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Gerald Wallace scored 25 points and the Charlotte Bobcats began an important week for their playoff hopes by beating the Toronto Raptors 112-86 on Monday to snap a three-game losing streak.

D.J. Augustin added 15 points for the Bobcats, who moved within one game of idle Milwaukee and Chicago in the crowded and jumbled race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

With another game against Toronto and home games against struggling Sacramento and fellow playoff contender Indiana, the Bobcats are in need of a good week as coach Larry Brown tries to put the franchise into the postseason for the first time.

Chris Bosh had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the sloppy Raptors, who committed 24 turnovers.

Villanueva scores 19 as Bucks beat Celtics, 86-77

2009-03-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE – Charlie Villanueva scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Boston Celtics 86-77 on Sunday.

Kendrick Perkins scored a career-high 26 points with 12 rebounds, but had little help from anybody else as Milwaukee denied the defending champions a chance to clinch their second straight Atlantic Division crown. Paul Pierce had 15 points.

Boston came in 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the race for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

With Milwaukee ahead 81-77, Eddie House missed for the Celtics. Luke Ridnour dribbled the clock down on the ensuing possession and lost the ball, but it rolled to Charlie Bell, who threw in a desperation 3-pointer with 48 seconds left to seal the victory.

Ridnour added two free throws for Milwaukee's final points.

The Celtics trailed 80-69 late in the fourth before Perkins pulled them back into the game. He converted a three-point play, and after Pierce made a free throw, Perkins sank two and added a dunk to make it 80-77 with 3 minutes left.

Francisco Elson blocked Pierce's layup with 1:54 left and Bell was fouled on the ensuing possession, making one of two to push the lead to 81-77.

A sloppy first-half struggle ended tied at 41, but the third belonged to Milwaukee.

Villanueva's basket put the Bucks ahead 43-41 and Milwaukee maintained a slim lead through most of the third. Boston led just once at 61-60 on Rajon Rondo's fast-break layup, but Ridnour answered with a jump shot for the Bucks, who then stayed ahead the rest of the way.

Already without All-Star forward Kevin Garnett and reserves Glen Davis, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine, Boston had to play most of the second half without Leon Powe after he fouled out with 5:04 left in the third. Richard Jefferson, who had 17 points, sank both free throws, putting the Bucks ahead 56-50.

Powe scored just five points and grabbed six rebounds, far off his career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds in Friday night's 102-92 win over Memphis.

After the Bucks took a 54-49 lead midway through the third, Celtics coach Doc Rivers called a timeout and chewed out his players, but it didn't work.

Milwaukee had lost five of six and nine of 12 as it fights for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

A scary moment for the already injury-plagued Celtics came late in the second quarter.

Pierce had the ball at the top of the key setting up a play. Ridnour swiped at the ball, catching Pierce on the right side of his face. The Bucks scored after the steal while Pierce stayed on the Celtics' end covering his right eye. He dabbed at the eye with a towel, blinked several times and remained in the game.

Notes:@ Rivers said that Garnett, who has missed 11 games, wants back so bad that "if there was a treadmill Olympics, he'd be leading the pack right now." Rivers added that the chances for Garnett and Davis to play Friday at San Antonio were above 50 percent. ... Boston slipped to 6-5 in the last 11 games without Garnett (sprained right knee). ... Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ends Ruvell Martin and James Jones followed the action from sideline seats.

Nowitzki's 34 leads Mavericks past Suns 122-117

2009-03-11T10:54:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX – Now that Dallas has pulled away from the Phoenix Suns in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Mavericks are setting their sights higher. Dallas, behind a 34-point performance from Dirk Nowitzki, beat Phoenix 122-117 on Tuesday night to widen its lead over the Suns to five games for the eighth and final spot in the West.

"Make no mistake, though," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're trying to move up. We're not just trying to hang in this thing. We're trying to move up the seeding."

By opening a four-game road trip with a victory, Dallas is just a half-game behind Denver, a game behind New Orleans and 1 1/2 games behind Portland for the seventh through fifth spots in the conference.

Nowitzki scored 23 in the second half to send Phoenix to its fifth straight loss. The Suns' Steve Nash said his team came out flat in the second half, something he couldn't explain considering the importance of the contest.

"Dirk played great. He was unstoppable," Nash said, "but you know I felt like our output in the second half wasn't nearly up to where it could have been. Our concentration, I felt, could have improved a lot. I'm very disappointed with the way we played and competed in the second half."

Jason Terry added 25 points and Jose Barea 16 for Dallas, which snapped a five-game road losing streak. The Mavericks play at Portland Wednesday night.

"The first one is very big for our confidence and now tomorrow night we're going to face another huge challenge," Terry said. "This was good because now we can keep Phoenix in our rearview and keep pushing forward."

Nowitzki said it was important for Dallas to win on the road, something the Mavs hadn't done since Feb. 2 at Orlando.

"We know we can beat anybody at home," he said, "but I think the good teams and the great teams find a way to win big games on the road. That was definitely a big game for us tonight."

Shaquille O'Neal scored 21 on 9-of-10 shooting for Phoenix to pass Elvin Hayes for sixth on the NBA's career scoring list. Nash had 23 points and 13 assists for the Suns. Matt Barnes added 21 points.

"It was a tough loss and we're really disappointed," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said, "but we still have 18 games to play. This was not the difference of us being in the playoffs and not being in the playoffs."

Dallas took final control with a 10-2 run late in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki made a pair of outside jumpers to start the spurt, then Jason Kidd sank two 3-pointers and it was 112-99 with 3:08 to play.

O'Neal got his 13th point of the night with 1:34 left in the first half to pass Hayes. With 27,322 points, O'Neal needs 88 to take over fifth place from Moses Malone.

"Pretty good," O'Neal said, "but I'd like to have a win tonight. All that stuff, it's cool, but it's not really important. It's all about winning."

Jazz 112, Pacers 100

At Indianapolis, Mehmet Okur scored 24 points and Utah won its 12th straight. Paul Millsap finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, Ronnie Brewer scored 18 points and Deron Williams had 12 assists for the Jazz, who moved closer to the franchise record of 15 consecutive victories.

Troy Murphy scored 23 points, tying a Pacers home record with seven 3-pointers, and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Cavaliers 87, Clippers 83

At Los Angeles, LeBron James recorded his second straight triple-double with 32 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Mo Williams hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds to play, and Cleveland rallied from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

Al Thornton and Zach Randolph each had 20 points for the Clippers. They used their 30th different starting lineup, with center Chris Kaman returning to action after missing 48 games because of plantar fascitis in his left foot.

Spurs 100, Bobcats 86

At San Antonio, Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Spurs stopped Charlotte's franchise-record winning streak at six.

Raja Bell and Emeka Okafor each had 16 points for the Bobcats, who are a game behind eighth-place Chicago in their bid to make the playoffs for the first time since joining the NBA in 2004.

Knicks 120, Bucks 112

At Milwaukee, Nate Robinson scored 10 of his 32 points in the final five minutes, Larry Hughes added a season-high 39, and New York won on the road for just the eighth time this season.

Charlie Villanueva scored 32 for the Bucks, who came into Tuesday's game clinging to the final playoff spot in the East despite an injury-plagued season.

Thunder 99, Kings 98

At Sacramento, Calif., Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook each scored 24 points, and Oklahoma City held on for its fifth victory in six games.

Spencer Hawes had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Kings, and Francisco Garcia made four 3-pointers and scored 18.

LeBron scores 42 in Cavs 107-100 win over Heat

2009-03-03T15:19:00.001-08:00

MIAMI – This time, the Miami Heat were witnesses, not winners, because of a fourth-quarter comeback. LeBron James scored 42 points, Mo Williams got 17 of his 30 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final minutes to beat the Heat 107-100 on Monday night.

Dwyane Wade had 41 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Miami, strongly following up his 46-point effort two nights earlier against the New York Knicks, when the Heat rallied from 15 points down in the last 9 minutes.

The Cavs are now 47-12 — 35 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history.

Williams got the comeback going with two huge 3-pointers to spark a 12-0 run that erased what seemed like a comfortable lead midway through the final period. And James sealed it with 42.7 seconds left, blowing past Jamario Moon for a fierce right-handed slam to put the Cavs up 100-95.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which moved a full game ahead of idle Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 16 points, Mario Chalmers added 15 and Moon had 11 for Miami, which shot 2-for-17 with four turnovers in the final 5 1/2 minutes to waste what was a 91-80 lead. Not to mention wasting the second straight 40-plus scoring effort by Wade, who pulled off that feat for the second time in his career.

Cleveland was 11-for-17 from 3-point range — James was 6-for-7 — while Miami was a mere 5-for-18.

Cleveland won in Atlanta on Sunday night, then boarded what was supposed to be a quick 90-minute flight to Miami. By the time the Cavaliers got to South Florida, the sun was coming up and it was time for breakfast.

Terrible weather kept the Cavaliers' plane on an Atlanta runway for 3 1/2 hours, and the team didn't get to its hotel until 7 a.m.

"We slept all day," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.

Sure enough, the Cavaliers didn't look the least bit tired.

By the time the game was 10 minutes old, Cleveland had a 10-point lead. Delonte West created a five-point early swing by himself, intercepting a pass from Moon to deny Wade an easy transition dunk and then finding James open for a 3-pointer — part of a 14-point first quarter by the Cavs star.

Cleveland led 58-55 at the half after another 3-pointer by James a few seconds before the horn. Then Wade really got going.

He scored 15 points in the third quarter, three less than the Cavaliers managed, and Miami held Cleveland to 33 percent shooting in the period to build a cushion. Miami outscored the Cavs 17-5 over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the quarter, Wade blocked a dunk try by J.J. Hickson with 18.8 seconds left, and the Heat took an 82-76 edge into the fourth period.

James and Wade seemed like they were having a personal slam-dunk contest in the opening minutes of the final period.

James had a steal and two-handed windmill offering to get Cleveland within seven; Wade came back shortly thereafter with a steal and double-clutch reverse for an 91-80 Miami edge.

Over?

Not even close.

Cleveland ran off 12 straight points — the first eight coming in a span of 1:23, with Williams getting a pair of 3-pointers to quickly snap the Cavs right back into the game. And his leaning layup with 4:07 left not only gave Cleveland the lead, it had a crowd that spent most of the night chanting "M-V-P" at Wade actually booing for the first time.

They didn't have much to cheer the rest of the way, either.

Notes:@ Wade and James — close friends — inadvertently hugged each other to end the third quarter. Moon fired a pass down the left sideline, the two MVP candidates got entangled, then wrapped arms around each other to keep themselves from falling into the front row of seats. ... Brown was chosen the Eastern Conference's coach of the month, crediting his team. "I haven't played a second all season," he said. ... James was fouled twice on 3-pointers in the first half, making all six free throws. ... Cavs F Sasha Pavlovic checked in with 36.2 seconds left in the third period; he hadn't played since Feb. 8 because of a high ankle sprain. ... The teams play again Saturday in Cleveland.

Jazz win seventh straight

2009-02-28T20:57:00.001-08:00

SALT LAKE CITY – Ronnie Brewer scored a career-high 26 points and Utah increased its winning streak to seven straight with a 102-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, hours after Jazz owner Larry Miller's funeral in the same building.

Mehmet Okur also scored 26 and Deron Williams added 16 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who went 10-1 in February.

The day started somberly for the Jazz with the funeral for Miller, who died eight days before of complications from diabetes, but ended with another win — a fitting send-off for their longtime owner.

Kevin Martin had 19 points to lead the Kings, who haven't won back-to-back games since November. Rashad McCants had 17 points and Bobby Jackson scored 14 for Sacramento.

The Kings, who beat the Clippers the night before in Sacramento, faded as Utah corrected some mistakes that led to 13 turnovers in the first half. Utah had just four turnovers in the second half and outscored the Kings 23-16 in the final period. It took the Jazz until midway through the fourth period to finally pull away with an 11-0 run.

Brewer started the run with a 3-pointer, then he and the Jazz held the Kings scoreless for almost five minutes while pulling away. Brewer also had a steal that led to his own dunk and a thrilling save during the spurt that put Utah in command for good.

Brewer finished 10-for-18 from the floor and had seven rebounds, four steals, a block and two assists.

Although the Kings never led, they were never more than nine points behind until the final quarter.

After Will Solomon made a 3-pointer to get the Kings within 80-79, Brewer answered with a 3-pointer to start the decisive run. Millsap followed that by blocking Solomon's layup and starting a fast break, which Andrei Kirilenko completed on an alley-oop from Williams with 8:27 left to play.

Brewer saved the ball from going out of bounds with a blind pass to Kirilenko, who couldn't control it but dived on the floor for the loose ball and managed to roll it to Williams. Williams was fouled on the drive and made one of his free throws to put Utah up 91-79 with 5:08 remaining.

Martin made a jumper for Sacramento's first points since Solomon's 3-pointer, but the Jazz went right back to Brewer for a dunk and Utah continued to roll.

Notes@: Brewer's previous career high was 25 in December against Minnesota. ... The Jazz had a chance for a six-point halftime lead but allowed Jason Thompson to sneak behind the defense and make a dunk with 0.4 seconds left in the second quarter and cut Utah's lead to 54-50. ... The Jazz outscored the Kings in the paint 56-42. .. Francisco Garcia scored 13 and Thompson pulled down 12 rebounds for Sacramento. Spencer Hawes added 11 boards for the Kings.

NBA Weekly: Stephon Marbury To The Celtics?, Orlando Magic, Could The Pistons Miss The Playoffs?, & More

2009-02-25T14:09:00.001-08:00

Boston Celtics: It looks like the Celtics have made their playoff moves, first by adding big man Mikki Moore and now they are looking to add Stephon Marbury as their backup PG. Both of these additions would improve the Celtics bench greatly. Moore is 6'11, but he weighs only 225 pounds, so I'm not sure how helpful he will be on defense or if he is even any good on defense. His defensive rating for his career is 108, which means he gives up 108 points per 100 possessions, and his rating has been getting worse as he gets older. Now that could partly be because the Kings are so bad on defense that no one individual defender is going to look good statistically on defense. The Celtics as a team have a defensive rating of 100.3, which means Moore is about 8 points worse than the Celtics per 100 possessions. Considering he'll probably only play 20-30 possession a game maximum, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. What he does provide is another big man who can hit jump shots, which is something Leon Powe and Big Baby can't do on a consistent basis. This should help spread the floor out some for the second unit. Yahoo Sports says this about Moore: Mooreâs a hard worker and has some length, but isnât a big rebounder/shot blocker type of power forward and he gets overpowered by bigger bodies. Guess that clears up the defensive ! part.

As for Marbury, well I don't think anyone would deny that having Marbury as your backup PG is going to help your team. Marbury can still score and should be able to create shots for the second unit as well. He also gives the Celtics another option if Rondo goes on a cold streak at the end of games or if the Celtics just want another 3-point shooter on the floor. I have no doubt that the Celtics will get the best out of Marbury, since KG alone should be able to motivate him. Now Marbury isn't guaranteed to go to the Celtics, because he still has to clear waivers I believe and it's possible someone like Miami might want to pick him up, but I'm pretty sure Marbury will choose the Celtics when all is said and done.

Orlando Magic: Unfortunately for NBA fans, Jameer Nelson is now officially done for the season, which means the Magic will not be 100% healthy to challenge the Celtics and Cavs in the East. However, they did trade for Rafer Alston to help ease the loss of Nelson and so far Alston has been playing well. The main thing Orlando needs Alston to do is distribute the ball and he is doing that for the Magic averaging 7.3 assists in 3 games. However, Alston is a terrible shooter from the floor percentage wise and typically shoots under 40% from the floor, so the Magic would do best to advise him to not shoot too much. He can knock down some open 3's, but even then he is just a 35.5% shooter from three for his career. The play of Alston, along with Courtney Lee and Anthony Johnson, will play a big part in just how deep this Orlando team can go in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons: I mentioned a few weeks back that the Pistons were finished as a contender and you could write them off for this season. Since then, they have gone 1-7 after having lost thei! r last 7 games, including 4 straight at home. Ouch, even I didn't think they would fall off THAT bad. Right now they are only two games up on Chicago who is in 9th place in the East, which means there's a very realistic chance that Detroit might not even make the playoffs. Things don't look like they will get better for the Pistons anytime soon either, since they have 3 straight road games against New Orleans, Orlando, and Boston.

Other NBA News:

- Bad news for anyone who picked the Nuggets to win the NBA Finals: Nene will out at least two weeks with a right knee contusion. By the time he comes back, the Nuggets might have slipped out of having home court in the West for the first round.

- The Cavs could be adding Robert Horry, who could possibly help them in the playoffs. He wouldn't be a bad option to try to suck away opposing PF's from the paint and he can guard a few different positions.

- One of my personal favorites, Ryan Gomes, is averaging 20.2 points and 16.2 shots per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, since Al Jefferson went down with a knee injury. Nice to see Gomes stepping it up, too bad it hasn't resulted in more victories for the T-Wolves though.

- Head Coach Patrick Ewing? Hell, I'd love to see that and so would he. Imagine the sweat he would work up on the sidelines though.

More: NBA Weekly

Marbury gone now, but he was already forgotten

2009-02-25T14:07:00.001-08:00

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Stephon Marbury hasn't been around much over the last year, so the New York Knicks had little reaction now that he won't be back.

To them, he already was gone and forgotten.

"He hasn't really been seen in a little while," forward David Lee said Wednesday, after the Knicks' morning shootaround. "Almost somewhat of a dead issue for us because we knew at some point it would probably happen."

Marbury's exit may have taken longer than expected — there was some surprise he was even with the team when training camp opened — but the Knicks haven't been spending much time thinking about their former captain.

"It's not like, 'Oh now we can really play basketball, we're not distracted,'" coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We weren't distracted before."

Nor does D'Antoni have any regrets about the way he handled his time with Marbury.

"We said all along, tough situation," D'Antoni said. "We weren't on the same page."

The Knicks and Marbury finally parted ways Tuesday after reaching a buyout on the remainder of his contract that expires following this season. The point guard will be free to join a playoff contender once he clears waivers, and he's already been linked to the Boston Celtics.

Nobody knows how much he'll help though, since he hasn't played a regular-season game in more than a year.

"We'll see. I don't know," Knicks forward Quentin Richardson said. "I don't know what he's been doing. I assume he's been working out or whatever. I mean, only thing I can say is time will tell. Good luck to him."

Though Marbury had still been a Knick, he wasn't a part of the team much toward the end of his turbulent time in New York. He took a long leave of absence last season after his father died in early December, then had season-ending ankle surgery in January. His last official game was Jan. 11, 2008.

He was back with the team in training camp and early in the season before team president Donnie Walsh ordered him to stay away on Dec. 1 while the sides worked toward the buyout of the remaining $20.8 million Marbury was set to earn in the final year of his deal.

In the meantime, the only time the Knicks saw him was when he bought a ticket and sat courtside when they visited the Los Angeles Lakers in December.

None of the players who spoke Wednesday criticized Marbury — though Richardson ripped him after Marbury declined to play when the team was short-handed in November — but they surely won't miss the distractions he caused.

Marbury was at the center of numerous controversies during his five years in New York, from feuding with coaches to skipping games. So while the former Brooklyn schoolboy star's arrival may have been celebrated when he returned home in January 2004, his departure is probably just as popular with his former teammates.

"For whatever reason the match didn't work out and we're moving on," Lee said.

Duncan sits out, but Spurs still crush Mavs

2009-02-24T20:05:00.001-08:00

SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker had 37 points and 12 assists with All-Star teammate Tim Duncan sitting out with a sore right knee, and the short-handed San Antonio Spurs held the Dallas Mavericks to their worst offensive showing this season in a 93-76 victory on Tuesday night.

Parker scored 26 points in the first half and shouldered the load without Duncan and Manu Ginobili, who hasn't played since the All-Star break because of a stress reaction in his right ankle.

Michael Finley scored 16 against his former team, and Josh Howard led the flat-looking Mavericks with 19 points.

The severity of Duncan's injury wasn't immediately known, nor was his likelihood for Wednesday's game against Portland. Duncan walked around the locker room before the game but was scratched only a half-hour before tip-off.

He was not on the bench for the game.

It was the first time this season San Antonio's leading scorer sat out with an injury, and left the Spurs to manage again without two of their big three. The Spurs survived a rocky first few weeks without Parker and Ginobili, who at the time was still recovering from surgery on his other ankle.

Ginobili, who is expected to miss another few weeks, cheerleaded in street clothes as the Spurs won their third straight.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 points for the Mavericks, who are also still without one of their biggest offensive weapons, Jason Terry. The standout sixth man missed his sixth game with a break in his non-shooting hand.

Minus Duncan, Ginobili and Terry, the latest meeting in the Interstate 35 rivalry was a far cry from the 133-126 double-overtime thriller that the Spurs wrested in Dallas in December.

Tuesday was more of a jog than a sprint. The Mavericks shot just 34 percent from the floor and San Antonio improved to 18-2 when holding opponents below 89 points.

Matt Bonner added 11 for San Antonio and Kurt Thomas had 10.

Popovich did not mention Duncan's health in a pregame chat with reporters. But when the subject of the recent rash of notable injuries came up — Ginobili, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, Boston's Kevin Garnett — Popovich plainly stated that "everyone knows you got to have your horses to win it all."

Perhaps, but apparently not to eek out a February victory.

No Duncan and no Ginobili meant an obvious dependence on Parker from the start, but the Mavs still couldn't shut down what they knew was coming.

Parker set up Thomas for San Antonio's first bucket, then scored 16 straight San Antonio points on a mixture of long jumpers, twisting layups and runners. The one-man run only stopped when Parker zipped a no-look pass to Fabricio Oberto for an easy basket.

By the time Parker sat for his first breather with 2:26 left in the first quarter, the speedy Frenchman had a hand in all but two of San Antonio's 26 points.

Jose Barea had 16 points and reserve James Singleton had 14 for Dallas.

Notes@ Popovich said Ginobili had a protective boot removed from his foot over the weekend and has limited himself to lifting weights and swimming in the pool. Popovich said he expects Ginobili to be on a treadmill soon. ... Even though the Spurs returned from their annual rodeo road trip 5-3, Popovich came home feeling robbed of the usual team-building the swing provides. He was frustrated, in part, because of the schedule being interrupted by the All-Star break. "It was too disjointed than what we wanted to get out of it," he said. ...The Mavs play their next three at home and will face the Spurs again March 4 in Dallas.