O.J. Mayo may be the most intriguing prospect in this year’s draft and two of the most respected draft experts have had an up-close look at the USC product in the last week. NBA.com’s Draft Blog checks out what they had to say.
As the Conference Finals heat up, so does the pressure on Bulls GM John Paxson to make the right choice. And you know the NBA columnists won’t hesitate to tell him what to do. NBA.com’s Sunday Click takes you around the web for the best of the Sunday columns.
The Utah Jazz say forward Paul Millsap’s injured left thumb should be completely healed in six weeks.
Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and the Boston Celtics built an early lead en route to a 94-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Boston Celtics travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. NBA.com’s Ben Couch will be watching to see if Boston can take a game on the road for the first time this postseason. He’ll live-blog throughout — check back after each quarter for updates.
Dave McMenamin is live blogging Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Spurs.
Go Around the Association for a recap of Friday’s action, including the Lakers taking another step toward detrhroning the Spurs.
Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, Lamar Odom added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers took command late in the second quarter to rout the Spurs 101-71 Friday night for a 2-0 lead.
The Boston Celtics simply watched film and talked about adjustments the day after losing at home for the first time in the playoffs. “Sometimes, I think you need a mental break,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said Friday.
In the BOSTON GLOBE, Bob Ryan writes “consider this a master class. Consider this a statement. Consider this a vivid reminder that man cannot live on home-court advantage alone, not if the stated goal is an NBA championship. What a wonderful night this was to be a member of, the coach of, the owner of, or just a plain old fan of the Detroit Pistons. This was a demonstration of professionalism. This was the way a good team acts. A split in Boston was all they asked for, and now they have it. They weren’t quite themselves in Tuesday’s Game 1, but they saw enough good things to know they only needed to tinker a bit and raise the level of their game a degree or two. That’s exactly what they did, and the result was last night’s 103-97 victory over the Celtics.”
boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/05/23/playoff_
In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “the Lakers eventually could advance to the NBA Finals, though they’re expecting the Spurs to approach tonight’s Game 2 like, you know, defending champions. The Lakers showed up for Thursday’s practice with equal parts enthusiasm and realism, knowing they somehow fell 20 points behind the Spurs in Game 1 but also happy to have scored an 89-85 body blow Wednesday in the opener of the Western Conference finals. Still, there are reasons the Spurs have won four of the last nine NBA championships. ‘They’re going to keep coming,’ Kobe Bryant said. ‘They’re hungry to get a back-to-back [title]. I don’t see Game 1 lingering into Game 2. I think they’ll be ready to go.’”
latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers23-2008may23
In the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, Carroll Rogers writes “the Atlanta Dream become reality Friday in a city that has seen its share of exciting women’s basketball come and go over the years but never stay. Between the U.S. women’s gold medal team in the 1996 Olympics, and a fleeting visit from the NCAA Final Four, there was the two-year stint by the Atlanta Glory of the ABL. Dream owner Ron Terwilliger is banking on quite a bit more, and he got his first wish. The Dream will host the Detroit Shock in their first home regular-season game at 7:30 tonight in front of a sell-out crowd. The team has sold 10,039 tickets at Philips Arena for the reconfigured seating for WNBA games.”
ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/stories/2008/05/22/adream_0523.html?
In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Brian Hanley writes “former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek is next up today on Bulls general manager John Paxson’s busy schedule of interviews with head-coaching candidates. Former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey was at the Berto Center on Thursday to talk with Paxson. Casey could land on the staff of new Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle if he doesn’t get the Bulls’ job. Paxson met with fourth-year Jazz assistant and former DePaul star Tyrone Corbin on Wednesday, and former NBA coach John Lucas told KRIV-TV in Houston that he has spoken to Paxson about the job and will interview. Lucas has a 174-258 career record in six seasons coaching the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.”
suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/966229,CST-SPT-bull23.articl
In the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, K.C. Johnson writes “if the Bulls use the top overall pick in the June 26 NBA draft to select Simeon High graduate Derrick Rose, Eddy Curry has some advice for his fellow hometown product. ‘Leave early for the games because traffic is a beast,’ Curry said Thursday, chuckling, in a phone interview. Other than the inconvenience that plagues everyone in the Chicago area, Curry spoke only in positive terms about his Bulls experience as the last high-profile player to land on his hometown team. And Curry, now the Knicks’ starting center, believes Rose would react similarly.”
chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-08052
In NEWSDAY, Alan Hahn writes “there is little doubt that the Knicks will shop for a point guard this summer, but at least one has come shopping for them. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Warriors’ Baron Davis has made inquiries into the interest of certain teams around the league, including the Knicks. Davis, 29, has an opt-out clause for this summer that could make him a free agent, but the Warriors don’t believe he would walk away from the final year and $17.8 million, which is money the dynamic but oft-injured guard likely wouldn’t make on the open market. So Davis’ only other play is to see if another team would pursue a sign-and-trade for him.”
newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix235699209may23,0,58
Go Around the Association presented by T-Mobile for a recap of Thurday’s playoff action.
Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and the Pistons beat the Celtics 103-97 Thursday night, tying the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece and seizing the home-court advantage in the series.
Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and the Pistons beat the Celtics 103-97 Thursday night, tying the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece and seizing the home-court advantage in the series.
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