May 2012 – Page 23 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Mike Woodson says Carmelo Anthony must shape up next season

Mike Woodson’s message to Carmelo Anthony this offseason will have a familiar ring to it: Improve your fitness.

Despite being one of the NBA’s elite scorers, Anthony has seen his weight and conditioning get criticized in the past, and Woodson wants his best player to address those issues this summer.

“I’ve got to push him to be in better shape when you start the season,” Woodson said Friday. “Everybody’s got to be in better shape. There’s a lot of things that’s got to be changed, not a lot of things, but there’s got to be some changes for this team to really get to the next level.”

The Knicks trail the Miami Heat 3-0 in their first-round playoff series and have lost an NBA-record 13 straight postseason games. Woodson is not a lock to return as coach, although his 18-6 record to close out the regular season makes him the odds-on favorite to retain the job.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Clippers hope to toughen up vs Grizzlies

Since losing game two Wednesday night, Reggie Evans and the Clippers have watched hours of game film, with their glaring shortcomings staring right at them.

“We got punked around,” Evans said. “It is what it is. They did a good job of being physical. It showed. The tape don’t lie.”

The numbers don’t lie, either.

In game two, Memphis crushed the Clippers on the glass, pulling down 16 offensive rebounds, and the Grizzlies established the physical tone, shooting 21 more free throws.

“They got 16 offensive rebounds so what is that a sign of?” Evans asked. “We got pushed around, punked around – that’s what it’s a sign of. We just have to bounce back. They did what they’re supposed to do and we did what we’re supposed to do. We went there and stole one and they came back and hit us back. “…It’s a mindset. It’s like a little kid getting bullied all the time, eventually the kid’s either going to run or bite back.”

— Reported by Dan Woike of the Orange County Register Blog

Josh Smith sidelined for Game 3 against Celtics

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith will not play in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics because of a sprained left knee.

Smith was hurt in Atlanta’s 87-80 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night and tried to work out before Friday night’s game, but decided he was unable to play.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said Marvin Williams would start in place of Smith, who averaged 19 points and 15 rebounds in the first two games of the series.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Ryan Anderson wins 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player award

Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic is the winner of the 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.

Anderson received 260 of a possible 605 points, including 33 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks (159 points, 21 first-place votes) and Nikola Pekovic of the Minnesota Timberwolves (104 points, 10 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

Anderson established career highs in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg), field goal percentage (.439) and free throw percentage. He also paced the league and established personal bests in three-pointers made (166) and attempted (422). He increased his scoring from the previous season by 5.5 ppg and his rebounds by 2.2 rpg. Orlando averaged 107.5 points per 100 possessions with Anderson on the court, compared to 94.1 points with the 6-10 forward on the bench.

As part of its support of the Most Improved Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV on behalf of Anderson to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2011-12 year-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 21 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began with the 2007-2008 season.

The 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its fifth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Defensive Player, Sixth Man, Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards, and this year for the first time, Rookie of the Year. It also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month which are awarded during the regular season.

No Jeremy Lin for Knicks in Game 4

Linsanity may not be seen again until next season unless the Knicks can extend the series.

Jeremy Lin all but ruled out making his return Sunday in Game 4 against the Heat, feeling he is still too sore and not in good enough condition.

Lin went through his first contact scrimmage Wednesday and didn’t come out of it that smoothly. Lin said next Wednesday’s Game 5 — if necessary — still is a possibility, but he will have to show marked progress, he said.

Lin, who underwent knee surgery 4 ½ weeks ago, didn’t take the court during Thursday morning’s shootaround because he was too sore. He huddled with coach Mike Woodson afterward to discuss his playing future.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Thunder beat Mavs to take 3-0 lead

Dirk Nowitzki leaned back in the chair at the podium, trying to explain what went wrong for the Dallas Mavericks once they got home for the playoffs.

There was really only one way to put it after they trailed throughout in a 95-79 loss Thursday night that gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a commanding 3-0 series lead.

”We picked a bad time to put a stinker out there,” Nowitzki said.

After losing the first two games on the road by a combined four points, the defending NBA champions were Thunderstruck by Kevin Durant and young Oklahoma City.

Durant finally found his postseason shooting touch, scoring 15 of his 31 points in the first quarter.

After shooting a combined 15 for 44 in the first two games, though he did have the game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds left in the series opener, the three-time NBA scoring champ made 11 of 15 shots in Game 3. Even when he missed the game’s first shot, Serge Ibaka converted a putback to put Oklahoma City ahead to stay…

Nowitzki had 17 points and Jason Kidd 12 for Dallas, which shot only 34 percent (26 of 76).

Russell Westbrook added 20 points for Oklahoma City while Ibaka had 10 points and 11 rebounds. James Harden and Derek Fisher both had 10 points.

Oklahoma City led 16-7 less than 5 minutes into Game 3 after Durant’s alley-oop pass to Ibaka for a layup. The Thunder pushed further ahead with 16-5 runs in both the second and third quarters, the later spurt clinching the game.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Heat beat Knicks to take 3-0 lead

LeBron James scored 32 points, including eight straight to start the fourth quarter and break open the game, and the Heat took a 3-0 series lead, sending the New York Knicks to an NBA postseason-record 13th straight loss, 87-70 on Thursday night.

James had 17 points in the final period for the Heat, who held the short-handed Knicks to eight field goals in the second half and will go for the sweep Sunday at Madison Square Garden…

Wade added 20 points for the Heat and Mario Chalmers had 19, hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter when the Heat finally brought some beauty to what had been an ugly game.

Wade was forced to go the whole third quarter while James was limited to just 4 1/2 minutes by fouls. Wade had 12 points in the period, knowing the two-time MVP would be coming back with fresh legs…

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points but shot 7 of 23 for the Knicks, who are playing without Amare Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert and needed a super effort from Anthony that he didn’t come close to providing.

”When you can’t score the basketball, that makes the game extremely hard, no matter how much defense we go down there and play,” Anthony said.

The Knicks broke the record set by Memphis from 2004-06. They haven’t won a playoff game since April 29, 2001, Game 3 of a best-of-five series against Toronto…

Chris Bosh had nine points and 10 rebounds hours after the birth of the couple’s first child. He flew to New York with the Heat on Wednesday, then quickly hopped on a flight back to Miami after learning his wife was in labor. He returned Thursday afternoon following the birth of his son, arriving at the arena about 30 minutes before the game.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Banged-up Clippers return from wild Memphis split

Just two games into their first playoff run together, the Los Angeles Clippers are already hurting and hobbling.

That’s what happens to opponents of the bruising Memphis Grizzlies, but the Clippers are hoping a return home will get everybody healthy in a hurry.

With a third of their roster nursing injuries, the Clippers took the day off Thursday after a highly eventful two-game opening set in Memphis. Los Angeles left with a split and seized home-court advantage in the series despite following up one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history with a 105-98 loss Wednesday night.

While they prepare for their first playoff game in six years in front of their long-suffering Staples Center fans in Game 3 on Saturday, the Clippers must figure out where to find the postseason will already possessed by the Grizzlies, who rebounded from their stunning series-opening collapse with a gritty, grinding equalizer.

”We played better, but it’s no moral victories around here,” said Chris Paul, who had 29 points, six assists and five turnovers in Game 2. ”At the end of the day, it’s 1-1. We did what we were supposed to do, yeah, win one game. But I feel like we could have got two. Now we’ve got to take care of two.”

The Grizzlies boarded a plane with similar resolve Thursday.

”We do have to win on the road, just like the Clippers had to win,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ”It’s an evenly contested playoff series. Nobody is safe wherever.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Orlando Magic looking for energy boost

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy walked into the Magic’s practice session Thursday toting an armload of statistics to illustrate why they’ve lost two straight games and fallen into a 2-1 series hole against Indiana.

But Van Gundy knows simply harping on numbers the next two days won’t be enough to pull his team out of its funk in time for Game 4.

”Our point today wasn’t really on adjustments or anything…I wanted them to see it,” he said. ”I mean the numbers say one thing, but to watch it on film and to see what we’re talking about, because the mindsets gotta change, the disposition’s gotta change, the energy’s got to change.

”And then from there you can make adjustments.”

After squandering a late-game lead in Game 1, the Pacers have won two straight by owning the first and third quarters of play.

On Wednesday night in a 97-74 win, they outscored the Magic 32-17 in the third quarter, running their edge in that period for the series to 81-43. In the first quarter that advantage is 69-56.

— Reported by the Associated Press

James Harden, Anthony Davis added to roster of Team USA finalists

Anthony Davis,who led the University of Kentucky Wildcats to this year’s NCAA championship,and Oklahoma City Thunder standout guard James Harden have been added to the list of finalists for the 2012 USA Basketball National Team, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced today. The official 12-man U.S. Olympic team roster will be announced later this year.

“After a lot of deliberations, after reviewing our roster, we think these two additions strengthen our National Team program immeasurably. James Harden probably is the sixth man of the year in the NBA, and Anthony Davis brings a dimension to our pool we don’t have. He’s young, but it’s exciting to think about the possibilities,” said Colangelo.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be this young and have a chance to represent my country. This is a great opportunity and I’m excited to be a part of something like this,” said Davis.

Davis played and started in all 40 UK games and as a freshman led the Wildcats to a 38-2 record, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season title and the NCAA championship. The 6-10 forward averaged team highs of 14.2 ppg.,10.4 rpg. and 4.7 bpg., while adding 1.3 apg. and 1.4 spg. He shot 62.3 percent from the floor and 70.9 percent from the foul line.