March 2011 – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Nets top Celtics for 5th straight win

The AP reports:

Brook Lopez scored 20 points, Deron Williams added 16 and made the clinching 3-pointer, and the Nets extended their longest winning streak in three years to five games with an 88-79 victory Monday night.

Kris Humphries had 16 points and 15 rebounds, following his strong performance against Blake Griffin by turning in one against Kevin Garnett to help the Nets snap a nine-game home losing streak against the Celtics…

Ray Allen scored 19 points and Garnett had 18 for the Celtics, who couldn’t overcome horrible shooting nights from All-Stars Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo and fell back into a tie with Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Heat destroy NBA-best Spurs by 30

The AP reports:

For the Miami Heat, there was symmetry in the turnabout.

Lose by 30 in San Antonio, win by 30 in Miami.

Chris Bosh scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 29 and the Miami Heat avenged their worst loss of the season by rolling past the NBA-leading Spurs 110-80 on Monday night…

LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who have won three straight and moved within two games of Eastern Conference front-runners Boston and Chicago.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs, who had won 15 of their last 18 against Miami. Before Monday, San Antonio’s worst loss of the season had been a 96-72 defeat in New Orleans.

Coach Byron Scott thinks Cavs have regressed

Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Since a 4-4 stretch following their league-record 26-game losing streak, the Cavs have lost four straight by an average of about 16 points. They were barely competitive in the last three.

Coach Byron Scott admits his young team has regressed.

“I think the last two games, yeah, think so,” he said. “We discussed that this morning as coaches. That’s one of the most frustrating things for us is that we’ve regressed instead of progressed — especially when you see progression coming and all of a sudden the last two games you take a couple of steps back.

“That’s very frustrating for me and for all our coaches — and, hopefully, for the players as well. We’ve got to figure out a way to get back to where we’re taking small steps forward instead of taking big steps backward. It just can’t happen.”

This young team has confounded its coaches and fans all season, and Scott admitted almost anything could be behind this latest swoon. With eight players age 24 or younger — four are 22 or younger — the Cavs have a roster full of guys who have never played this many games before. This far out of the playoffs, it’s possible the players are just counting down the 17 games to the end of the season.

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay remains out with shoulder injury

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay underwent a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today on his left shoulder, which revealed that while the shoulder is healing from a subluxation, it needs more time to fully recover. There is no timetable for his return.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward has missed the last 10 games after suffering the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia.

Currently in his fifth NBA season, Gay is averaging 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9, 3rd in the NBA).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

Trail Blazers sign Chris Johnson

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed center Chris Johnson of the NBA Development League’s Dakota Wizards for the remainder of the season, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

Johnson, 25, previously signed a 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers on Jan. 22 and appeared in two games, Feb. 1 vs. San Antonio and Feb. 2 at Denver, totaling four points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.

In his first NBA season, Johnson (6-11, 249) also appeared in four games for Boston from Feb. 24-March 4, where he totaled six points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in 32 minutes.

The 15th call-up of the 2010-11 NBA D-League season, Johnson has played in 35 games (34 starts) this season for Dakota, averaging 16.2 points (51.7% FG), 9.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.77 blocked shots in 31.8 minutes.

The LSU product was named to the 2011 NBA Development League All-Star Game and tallied 10 points (5-9 FG), two rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.

The Trail Blazers roster now stands at 15 players. Johnson will wear jersey No. 17.

Kevin Love double-double streak ends at 53

The AP reports:

Kevin Love’s remarkable streak of consecutive double-doubles came to an end with a thud, and no one was happier about it than the Minnesota star himself.

Slowed by a thigh injury and worn out from all the attention he’s been receiving lately, Love sounded relieved and eager to move on now that it’s over.

“Now I can start focusing on playing my game,” said Love after being held to six points and 12 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ 100-77 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. “I thought I was doing it for myself but a lot of it was for the fans and everybody watching. I feel a big weight off my shoulders.”

It’s the first time since Nov. 19 that Love has failed to register a double-double. His 53-game streak was a franchise record and the longest in the NBA since Elvin Hayes did it in 55 consecutive games in 1973-74.

Love’s streak has been the only thing keeping the Timberwolves (17-51) in the headlines these days. Not anymore.

Britain gets OK to play basketball at 2012 Olympics

The AP reports:

The international basketball federation has cleared Britain’s men’s and women’s teams to compete in the 2012 London Olympics without qualifying.

The world governing body FIBA gave the teams a special exemption at a central board meeting Sunday after receiving guarantees that the host will improve its long-term basketball program after the games.

Rick Adelman says Gregg Popovich should win coach of year

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:

Rockets coach Rick Adelman does not get to cast a ballot, but he has seen enough to know he would vote for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for Coach of the Year if he could.

“I think Pop’s just done a great job this year,” Adelman said. “To me, the record they have, he’s the Coach of the Year, the way he’s put these guys together and the type of season they’ve had.

“Right now, they’re still the best team in the league. They’re so efficient. They played together so long, especially (Tony) Parker and (Manu) Ginobili.

“They’ve got two playmakers. That’s really hard to guard. That’s like (Steve) Nash the other night. He had nine points, but he set the whole thing in motion for them. That’s what those two guys do.

“Pop has those guys playing well. He has his role players playing well off the bench. They shoot the 3s well. They just take advantage of what you give them.”

Dwyane Wade awarded custody of sons

Kristen Mack of the Chicago Tribune reports:

NBA star Dwyane Wade was awarded sole custody of his two young sons after a bitter battle with his ex-wife, lawyers in the case said today.

“I am very thankful that the court has given me custody of my boys and they are already at home with me in Miami and settling in,” the Miami Heat guard said in a statement. “Going through a custody trial was difficult and I wish it hadn’t been necessary, but, I felt it was the only way that I could continue to play an active part of my kids’ lives and provide them with a happy and stable home. My hope is that their mother will also choose to play a healthy role in their lives and we can all move on from this in a positive way.”

Cook County Circuit Judge Renee Goldfarb issued a detailed 102-page ruling late Friday…

Goldfarb’s ruling is meticulous, down to who will have custody of the children on holidays, All-Star Weekend and if the Miami Heat are in the NBA finals. The transition of the children, ages 3 and 8, from Illinois to Florida will occur immediately, according to the judge’s ruling. There will be a 30-day period of adjustment so they can acclimate to their new school and surroundings.

Siohvaughn Wade will fly to Miami every other weekend to spend time with her children, with the exception of a few holidays during which the boys will come to Illinois. For the time being the cost of her trips, including “reasonable” airfare and lodging, will be covered by Dwyane Wade.

Phil Jackson jabs Mark Cuban over 2006 Finals

Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson insinuated that complaints about officiating by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the 2006 NBA Finals may have cost the Mavs the championship.

Before Saturday’s Mavs-Lakers game, Jackson was asked whether it was crucial for the Lakers to have home-court advantage should the Mavs and Lakers meet this year in the playoffs, because of Cuban’s personality.

Jackson said: “Why?”

Cuban’s penchant for complaining about officiating, the reporter asked. That’s when Jackson, while laughing, said of Cuban:

“Oh, he lost that Miami series. He definitely had it coming that time. I think he’s toned it down in the last years.”

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