The AP reports: LeBron James banked in a stunning 3-pointer at the end of the first half and finished with 38 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Cavaliers embarked on their quest for a first NBA championship with a 102-84 win over the Pistons in Game 1 on Saturday… The likely MVP went 13-of-20 from the field, 11-of-14 from the line and didn’t commit a turnover. Cleveland had only five miscues, a postseason franchise record… Joe Smith scored 13 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who pushed the tempo in the second half and outran the aging Pistons. Rodney Stuckey scored 20 and Hamilton 15 for Detroit, which came in as a No. 8 seed and could be in for a shorter postseason run after making the Eastern Conference finals the past six years.
Month: April 2009
Bulls beat Celtics 105-103 in OT in Game 1
The AP reports: Derrick Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series… “I hope this is a wake-up call,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 23 points… Tyrus Thomas scored 16 points—making six of Chicago’s eight points in overtime, including the game-winning jumper with 51 seconds left in overtime. Joakim Noah, who was also making his postseason debut, scored 11 with 17 rebounds for the Bulls as they wrested the home-court advantage from Boston… Rajon Rondo scored 29 points with nine rebounds and seven assists for Boston, which was without Kevin Garnett and didn’t get what it needed from the rest of the Big Three, either.
Jazz recall Kosta Koufos from D-League
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has recalled rookie center Kosta Koufos from the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League). Koufos is expected to be in uniform when the Jazz travel to Los Angeles for Utah’s first round series against the Lakers which begins on Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. (MT).
In 48 games this season (seven starts) the 7-1, 265 pound Koufos has averages of 4.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists. Koufos has been inactive 24 times and registered a DNP-CD 10 times. Koufos last appeared in a game on February 17 against Memphis, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in a 117-99 home win. The center notched his career-high when he scored 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 97-88 win over Dallas on December 2 in Salt Lake City.
With the Flash, Koufos averaged 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 assists in 10 games (all starts).
Selected by the Jazz out of Ohio State in the first round (23rd overall selection) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists in his only season with the Buckeyes. The Canton, Ohio native was also named the postseason NIT MVP after leading Ohio State to the 2008 title. Koufos, who holds dual American and Greek citizenship, helped lead Greece to a silver medal in the 2007 UMCOR U18 European Championships after averaging 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots.
Wolves lay radio analyst off
The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports (via blog): Wolves radio analyst Kevin Lynch – the former Gophers star and radio guy who left that job to join the Wolves’ broadcast last fall — was one of eight employees laid off Thursday in cost-cutting moves that are another sign of these economic times. Radio play-by-play man Alan Horton will go it alone while the TV team of Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen presumably will remain intact.
Bobcats owner says team will never leave Charlotte
The Charlotte Observer (Scott Fowler) reports: Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson said Wednesday afternoon that he “absolutely, unequivocally” would never move the team out of Charlotte, but he left open the possibility of selling his majority stake in the NBA franchise to Michael Jordan. His comments came as his team wrapped up its season with improved play but projections of roughly $35 million in cash losses over the next two years, people familiar with the situation told the Observer. In an exclusive interview with the Observer, Johnson said his close friend Jordan would be an excellent owner for the Bobcats and could possibly buy the majority share in the team whenever Jordan came up with the proper financing.
Danny Ainge OK after minor heart attack
Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital after having a minor heart attack. He is recovering nicely. Mr. Ainge is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.
The Celtics are the NBA’s current defending champions, and the NBA playoffs are set to begin Saturday.
Read fan reaction and post your own comments in this forum topic.
John Wall not trying to enter 2009 NBA Draft
I was just with high school superstar guard John Wall and he said he does not plan on trying to enter the 2009 NBA Draft.
Wall is a fifth year senior.
Wall also said he has now added Florida to the list of colleges he is considering attending.
For more, see our high school basketball page.
– Jeff Lenchiner, editor of InsideHoops.com
Antawn Jamison hated this season
The Washington Times (Mike Jones) reports: “This is the worst season I’ve ever been a part of,” said Antawn Jamison, who went through a 17-win season in his rookie year with Golden State. “Even though we had a lot of injuries, we still thought we had enough talent to play better than what we’ve shown this year. But this is the worst season. Back then [2000-01 with Golden State], we had guys on 10-day contracts – six or seven guys. You were, I don’t want to say expected to be that bad, but… here, we’ve got a foundation here and some guys who have been here for an extended period of time. … It can’t get any worse than what we went through this year.”
Ed Snider of Comcast-Spectacor under investigation
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is investigating whether a $15,000 political contribution from Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider, who is a partner in the Foxwoods Casino planned for Center City, violated the state ban on campaign giving by gambling interests. Snider gave $15,000 on Jan. 15 to Comcast Corp. PAC-USA, a political committee registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State. The 2004 gaming act prohibits any casino principals from contributing “to any political party committee or other political committee in this commonwealth.” In an interview yesterday, Paul Mauro, deputy director of the Gaming Control Board’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, said only: “There is an ongoing investigation, and we don’t comment on ongoing investigations.”
Grizzlies ownership president Gene Bartow health problem
Memphis Grizzlies Majority Owner and Chief Executive Officer Michael Heisley issued the following statement today on the health of President of Hoops LP Gene Bartow.
“We have recently learned that Gene Bartow has become ill with stomach cancer and has begun treatments immediately in Birmingham, Alabama.
Coach Bartow has been a beloved figure in the collegiate ranks and a staple in the Memphis community from his head coaching days at Memphis State University to his eight years of dedication to the Grizzlies.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Gene and we look forward to his speedy recovery. We spoke to him today and he is doing well, and is very optimistic. Currently we have little information, but we will provide further updates when it becomes available with the blessing of Gene and his family.”