Terreno Deportivo

On BASKETBALL 24/7, Terry Lyons writes “The 2008 NBA Finals are upon us. Boston vs. Los Angeles. Number one in the East vs. number one in the West. The series will bring back fond memories of days gone by, and it will bring clear recollections of classic NBA Finals that I was lucky enough to witness live, from courtside, in 1984, 1985 and 1987. For others, a little older, this series will bring back memories from series listed further back in the NBA history books when the Celtics first played the (Minneapolis) Lakers in 1959 or when Boston defeated Los Angeles four times between 1962 and 1965. For some, it will conjure fond memories of 1968 and 1969 when Boston defeated Los Angeles in consecutive championships when legendary center Bill Russell outlasted his longtime rival Wilt Chamberlain.”

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Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that Flip Saunders will not return next season as the team’s head coach.

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In the BOSTON GLOBE, Marc J. Spears writes “David Stern is celebrating his 25th NBA Finals as commissioner with the upcoming matchup between the Celtics and Lakers. During a phone interview yesterday, Stern talked about his anniversary, the rivalry, Red Auerbach, ‘The Big Three,’ and much more.”

boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/03/in_refle

In the NEW YORK TIMES, Billy Witz writes “the Celtics and the Lakers renew their rivalry Thursday with the start of the N. B.A. finals, the 11th time they have met for the championship but the first time since 1987. It has been so long that for many Lakers, the days leading up to the series have been a history lesson. There have been incessant highlights of the assistant coach Kurt Rambis, then a Lakers forward, being clotheslined by Kevin McHale, a play that proved a turning point in the Celtics’ series victory in 1984. A year later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, now a special assistant coach, sank the game-winning skyhook that gave Los Angeles its first-ever finals win over Boston. ”

nytimes.com/2008/06/03/sports/basketball/03lakers.html?_r=2&ref=s

In the NEW YORK POST, Mark Berman writes “sl-o-o-o-o-w down, Jeff. Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy not only likes the Lakers to take out Boston for the NBA championship but sees the makings of another purple-and-gold dynasty. Van Gundy spoke on an ABC conference call yesterday to promote the tradition-drenched Celtics-Lakers finals matchup beginning Thursday at the new Boston Garden. He says LA is too powerful offensively for even his buddy, Celtics associate coach/defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, to stop.”

nypost.com/seven/06032008/sports/knicks/van_gundy_sees_laker_dyna

In the SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL, Ira Winderman writes “center Alonzo Mourning offered yet another strong signal Monday that he will attempt to end his career in a Heat uniform rather than on the injured list. Six months after sustaining a serious season-ending knee injury in a loss in Atlanta, Mourning said he is continuing to push for a return to the 2008-09 Heat roster. Speaking at Jason Taylor’s charity golf tournament in Davie, Mourning reiterated his single-minded focus in his rehabilitation. ‘There’s no mystery,’ he said, ‘I’ve said I want to come back and play another year. I just want to get my body right to do it. I need to get my body where my mind is.’ ”

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In the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Fred Mitchell writes “Dwyane Wade says he keeps hearing his name mentioned in trade rumors involving the Bulls and Miami Heat. Would the Bulls give up the No. 1 draft position to the Heat in exchange for Wade and the No. 2 overall selection? Or some combination of other players and picks? ‘I have heard my name being talked about, and I can’t worry about it,’ Wade said Monday at the Attack Athletics training facility on the West Side. ‘There is one thing in this league that you have no control over. If another organization wants you, then you should feel good to be wanted.’”

chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-08060

In the DETROIT FREE PRESS, Krista Jahnke writes “will Flip Saunders be back as the coach of the Pistons next season? It’s too early to tell. A person with knowledge of the situation said president Joe Dumars has not sat down with Saunders yet to discuss the past season, which ended last week to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. Nor has Dumars met with owner Bill Davidson, who will undoubtedly have his say in Saunders’ future. The person said a meeting between Dumars and Davidson will take place ?really soon,’ and after that, questions about Saunders’ future should be cleared up. The person stressed that Saunders has not yet been given any assurance he’ll be back.”

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In the SACRAMENTO BEE, Sam Amick reports “Kings assistant Chuck Person made his name as a player by mastering the long shot. If he lands the Chicago head-coaching position, he’ll be doing the same thing as a coach. According to a source close to the Kings, the job is not yet Doug Collins’ for the taking, and “the Rifleman” will interview with Bulls general manager John Paxson for a second time this week. In recent days, numerous reports had the job going to Collins, the former Bulls coach and TNT commentator who had said publicly that it had not been offered.”

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Forget history. The old Celtics and Lakers have nothing to do with the 2008 NBA Finals. NBA.com’s John Schuhmann looks inside the numbers to see how these Celtics and Lakers play the game.

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The Hawks got their busy summer off to a good start last week, hiring longtime NBA executive Rick Sund as the team’s new general manager. Though he’s been involved with the league for over 30 years, Sund has managed to keep a low profile, preferring to conduct most of his business behind the scenes. As he transitions into his new job with the Hawks (and faces several big decisions right off the bat), Hawks.com took the opportunity to do a little Q&A to get you more familiar with the team’s new executive.

nba.com/hawks/feature/Q_A_With_Rick_Sund_060208.html?rss=true

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers says Tony Allen might not be back from an injury to guard Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant when the NBA finals begin Thursday night.

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Katie Douglas of the Indiana Fever and Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx were named the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, May 26 through Sunday, June 1.

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Orlando Magic President Bob Vander Weide announced today that General Manager Otis Smith has signed a multi-year contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.

nba.com/magic/news/Magic_sign_General_Manager_Oti-273200-2128.htm

In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Brian Hanley writes “the Doug Collins watch is winding down: Barring any last-minute hiccups, the Bulls are expected to introduce him as their next coach at a midweek news conference. An announcement of Collins’ hiring could come as early as Tuesday, a source said, with a formal introduction Wednesday. Sources told the Sun-Times last Thursday that Collins, who coached the Bulls from 1986 until he was fired in ‘89, had agreed to return. Contrary to a published report, Bulls general manager John Paxson never intended to talk to another former NBA coach about the job over the weekend. Speculation is that Paxson will want Collins to give a spot on his coaching staff to one of the candidates the Bulls have interviewed over the last six weeks. Collins could groom that person to eventually succeed him.”

suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/982159,CST-SPT-bull02.articl

In the WASHINGTON POST, Ivan Carter reports “Gilbert Arenas, who was cleared to begin rehabilitating his surgically repaired left knee over the weekend, still plans to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Washington Wizards to become an unrestricted free agent. But he doesn’t plan to file the necessary paperwork with the league any sooner than the June 30 deadline. The free agency period opens July 1, and Arenas has until June 30 to opt out of a deal that would pay him $12.8 million with the Wizards next season. Yesterday, via a text message, he revealed his plan to wait until the final day.”

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/01/AR2008060102

In the BOSTON GLOBE, Marc J. Spears writes “Lakers fans might have been stewing as the Celtics’ Paul Pierce led his teammates in chants of “Beat LA, Beat LA,” after Boston eliminated Detroit in six games Friday night to advance to the NBA Finals. Two Lakers fans in Los Angeles, however, were smiling, as Scott Collins and Pat Roy will be rooting for Pierce during the Finals. No Celtic has stronger ties to Los Angeles than Pierce, who grew up in Inglewood, Calif., a huge Lakers and Magic Johnson fan. ?That was funny. I’m sure he heard, ‘Beat LA,’ as a kid and hated that chant back then,’ said Collins, an Inglewood police detective who is Pierce’s longtime mentor, in a phone interview. ?And now, he’s leading it . . .’”

boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/02/some_pie

In the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, Elliott Teaford writes “the packages arrived at Kobe Bryant’s home in Italy and he tore into them as if they were Christmas presents. He wasn’t yet 9 years old and he couldn’t stop watching videotapes of the Lakers and Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals. ‘I remember everything,’ Bryant recalled. ‘All the plays. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a big basketball fan growing up. My grandfather used to send me tapes of the series and I used to watch them over and over again.’ Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parrish. Kurt Rambis and Kevin McHale. There was mayhem and passion and triumph and agony.”

dailynews.com/sports/ci_9450396?rss=true

In the DETROIT NEWS, Chris McCosky writes “Flip Saunders met briefly with Pistons president Joe Dumars on Saturday and all indications are that he was told he will be back. Understand that with the Pistons, a coach’s job security can change in an instant, but as of today, the plan is for Saunders to finish out the final year of his contract. He’s already working on next season. He will supervise a workout of draft candidates at the practice facility Wednesday. But that’s not to say Game 6 didn’t close a particular chapter for the Pistons. It seems a pretty safe bet that the core of the team — the group that has been together through six straight runs to the conference finals — will be altered, significantly.”

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In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Steve Springer writes “Sunday was a day for nostalgia. Sunday was a day for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a day to dwell on classic Lakers-Celtics. So the Hall of Fame center proved to be the first magnet for the media army. Surrounded as he had been in his playing days, Abdul-Jabbar was asked to relive the moment when he dropped his normally stoic demeanor after making a skyhook with a minute to play in Game 6 of the 1985 Finals, all but clinching the Lakers’ first championship triumph over Boston in nine tries. Abdul-Jabbar, a big grin on his face, ran down the Boston Garden court that day, arms spread, fists clenched. ‘A lot of years of frustration for our franchise and for me personally were over,’ he recalled. ‘The chance to get that monkey off our back and finally beat them was very important for our franchise.’?

latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers2-2008jun02,