This is a cameraphone pic from InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner from a few minutes ago in New York City, looking up at a cloudy evening sky. Enjoy.
Month: June 2012
Celtics beat Heat in Miami, take 3-2 series lead
A week ago, the Boston Celtics were too old.
Three games later, they’re one win away from the NBA finals.
And Miami – the team that was constructed with hopes of supplanting Boston as the power in the Eastern Conference – is suddenly in big trouble.
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Kevin Garnett finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 19 – including a huge 3-pointer over LeBron James’ outstretched arm with 52.9 seconds left – and the Celtics beat the Heat 94-90 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-2 lead in the East finals that now shift to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night.
”We’ve done nothing,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ”We’re playing a heck of a basketball team. So just because we’re going to Boston, I told them, we have to play. They’re not going to give it to us. We have to go get it.”
James finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, though he went 8 minutes without scoring in the final quarter. Dwyane Wade scored 27 for the Heat, who got no more than nine from anyone else.
”We wouldn’t want to be in this situation but we never get too high or too low in a series,” James said. ”We had an opportunity to come home and take a lead, but we didn’t. So we have to go up to Boston and win a game.”
— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press
But these Celtics at this moment have been valiant and worthy Heat adversaries.
They didn’t play particularly well in Game 5, but nevertheless won. Boston didn’t get a lead until the final minute of the third quarter, which ended with the Celtics holding a 65-60 lead on the strength of a 15-1 closing run. That advantage evaporated quickly enough, but Boston carved its way back.
“We just hung around enough to get to the fourth quarter,” said Rivers.
Boston’s poor shooting – Pierce, Allen and Rondo were a combined 11-of-43 – didn’t matter in the end, mostly because Garnett was so good.
“He’s our life,” Rivers said. “We’re a close-knit team. We have a lot of positive talk in our locker room.”
— Reported by Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post
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Paul Pierce hit arguably the biggest shot of the game Tuesday night, a 3-pointer over LeBron James that gave the Celtics a 90-86 lead with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Game 5. But Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t totally thrilled with the shot selection.
“I kind of wanted him to drive, honestly,” said Rivers. “I’ve been around Paul long enough. Right when he gets into the footwork, you knew he was going to shoot it. At least I did, because I’ve seen him enough.
“I didn’t know if I wanted that shot. Honestly, I thought he was going to drive it, but he made it. That’s what players like Paul do. It really is. He’s a big shot-maker. He always has been.”
— Reported by Gary Dzen of Boston.com
Spurs guard Gary Neal not on flight to OKC
Guard Gary Neal was not on board the Spurs’ flight from San Antonio to Oklahoma City on Tuesday afternoon, coach Gregg Popovich said.
“He’s not feeling well,” Popovich told the Express-News.
Asked if it was anything serious, Popovich said, “No.”
— Reported by the San Antonio Express-News
InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s not clear if Neal will definitely miss tomorrow’s game or not. He could always take a flight tonight or tomorrow morning. We’ll see.
DJ Rony Seikaly goes on music tour
On June 5, legendary NYC house music label Nervous Records teams up with emerging music sensation Rony Seikaly for the release of an exciting new compilation – Nervous Nitelife Presents Rony Seikaly.
Seikaly first rose to prominence in the NBA but when he wasn’t on the court he was in the record shops, reading the top dance magazines and driving around with the best dance mixes blasting from his car stereo. Seikaly turned his hobby into a second career in which he’s quickly risen to the top of the pack, playing at international club destinations like Club Liv in Miami and Pacha in Ibiza.
In addition to extensive DJ touring, Rony is also an accomplished producer whose Summer 2010 track “The World Is Beautiful” was frequently played on Pete Tong’s Radio 1 Show and charted by top DJ’s worldwide.
It’s interesting to note, that while DJs are often known for playing other artists tracks, Rony chooses to present his sets with approximately 70% of his own original productions and remixes. This leads to a club experience that’s completely unique, spontaneous and harkens back to the days of old when clubbers entrusted their evening into the DJs hands. Nervous Nitelife Presents Rony Seikaly is very much the CD version of what you’d experience at the club with Rony Seikaly behind the decks. It’s largely built on his own original productions and remixes with a few of his favorite bits from other producers sprinkled in.
The mix tips off with the Rony Seikaly and Jean Claudes Ades remix of Seikaly’s own “Mood That I Love;” A vocal house track that’s the perfect vibe for that time when the sun drops jut below the horizon and you know the party’s about to kick into high gear. It’s seamlessly mixed into the warm and bubby Fabo feat. Angela Sheik “Can’t Decide” and Seikaly’s driving the “Playa” before Lazaro Cazanova enters with his airy “Miami Vice feat. Amy Douglas (Julien Sandre Remix).” Next, a trifecta of Seikaly’s own original tracks hit consecutively and as the names imply (“Bring It On,” Build Up The Volume” and You Can Feel It”) it’s all about building the intensity.
The second half of the mix commences with Saarid’s wobbly “Future Lately feat. Javi (Walker & Royce Remix)” which leads into the thick rubber band basslines of Seikaly’s own “Desert Night’s” and his most punishing track of the mix, “Illusion.” Next, a gorgeous instrumental, “Watergate” sets the stage for a grand exit with Seikaly’s “Maro,” “Empty Days” and Catz ‘N Dogz Remix of John Davis & The Monster Orchestra “Bourgie Bourgie.”
This summer, Seikaly will begin residencies at LIO in Ibiza and REVEL in Atlantic City, all while celebrating the release of his first compilation on Nervous Records, Nervous Nitelife Presents Rony Seikaly due out June 5th.
TRACK LISTING
1. Rony Seikaly – Mood The I Love (Rony Seikaly & Jean Claudes Ades Remix)
2. Fabo feat. Angela Sheik – Can’t Decide
3. Rony Seikaly – The Playa
4. Lazaro Casanova – Miami Vice feat. Amy Douglas (Julien Sandre Remix)
5. Rony Seikaly – Bring It On
6. Rony Seikaly – Build Up The Volume
7. Rony Seikaly – You Can Feel It
8. Saarid – Future Lately feat. Javi (Walker & Royce Remix)
9. Rony Seikaly – Desert Nights
10. Rony Seikaly – Illusion
11. Watergate (Instrumental)
12. Rony Seikaly – Maro
13. Rony Seikaly – Empty Days
14. John Davis & The Monster Orchestra – Bourgie Bourgie (Catz ‘N Dogz Remix)
RONY SEIKALY LIVE TOUR DATES SCHEDULE
5/22 Cielo – New York City
5/25 Playhouse – Los Angeles, CA
5/26 Wet Republic – Las Vegas, NV
6/3 RX Pool Party/Delano – Miami, FL
7/14 Southpointe – The Hamptons, NY
7/15 Wet Republic – Las Vegas, NV
7/21 Voyeur – San Diego, CA
7/22 XIV – Lon Angeles, CA
Penny Marshall ripped off by scammer pretending to work for Lamar Odom
Attention filthy rich LA Lakers fans — Lamar Odom does not have a cash-strapped assistant … something director Penny Marshall learned after getting jacked for several thousand bucks.Sources tell TMZ the double-cross started at a Lakers game last month … when a man claiming to be LO’s assistant gave Penny a phone number he said was Lamar’s.
We’re told Penny and the person she thought was Lamar texted back and forth for several days — when finally “Lamar” asked her to loan his assistant a chunk o’ cash. Ever the faithful Lakers fan, Penny forked over more than five grand to the faux “assistant.”
Hook. Line. Sinker.
— Reported by TMZ
Thunder beat Spurs to take 3-2 series lead
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Look who’s unstoppable now.
Forget that incredible San Antonio streak of 20 straight wins. That’s ancient history, and the way the Oklahoma City Thunder have taken complete command of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs might soon be finished themselves.
Kevin Durant scored 27 points and the Thunder are on the brink of the NBA Finals, beating the Spurs 108-103 in Game 5 on Monday night and going from an 0-2 hole to moving within a victory of a series knockout. Their first chance will be Wednesday night at home, where they haven’t lost all season.
”We never thought we’re supposed to wait our turn,” Durant said. ”Coach always emphasizes that with every opportunity that you step on the floor. It’s a great opportunity to get better. To get to our dream.”
Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in a wildly entertaining Western Conference finals. Looking invincible while carrying a 20-game winning streak a week ago – the fourth-longest in NBA history – the Spurs have lost three straight and are on the verge of a stunning collapse.
Manu Ginobili scored 34 in a smashing return to the starting lineup, and the switch showed just how much Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knew his team might be in trouble. The only way the Spurs would have considered it a success is had they won, and that chance went clanging off the back of the rim with 4.9 seconds left with Ginobili missed an off-balance 3.
Ginobili then walked to the scorer’s table, made a fist and hammered it down.
”It wasn’t a great shot, but it wasn’t a bad one,” Ginobili said. ”It just didn’t go in.”
It was the Spurs first loss at home since April 11.
— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press
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In making his first start since March 23, Ginobili poured in 34 points, churning the Spurs — and the whited-out home crowd — into a frenzy of energy.
It was not enough to stagger the young Thunder, growing up before everyone’s eyes. In fact, they barely blinked.
Kevin Durant scored 27 points in leading OKC to the brink of the Finals, but his running mates, first Russell Westbrook (23 points, 12 assists) then James Harden (20), made the two biggest shots down the stretch.
A 13-point OKC lead with 5:17 to play had been whittled to two on a pair of Ginobili foul shots when Westbrook, oft-maligned for his fourth-quarter shot selection, rose and swished a 17-footer.
After a Tim Duncan bucket on the other end, Harden stepped back on Kawhi Leonard and buried a tough 3-pointer to make it 106-101 with 28.8 seconds left.
“We stuck together,” OKC coach Scott Brooks said. “We had a couple bad stretches, but we didn’t break.”
— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News
After Westbrook’s jumper, the Thunder got Tony Parker to miss a 16-foot jumper, which Westbrook contested wonderfully without fouling. Westbrook missed a driving layup at the other end, and Duncan made the Thunder pay by banking in a shot on a cross-match that had Harden covering him in the post.
The Thunder led 103-101 with 50.1 seconds left.
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The AT&T Center crowd was on its feet. The noise was darn near deafening.
Harden then sent everyone home hoping this series returns to San Antonio for a Game 7. He hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc over Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard with just two seconds left on the shot clock.
It gave the Thunder a 106-101 lead with 28.8 seconds remaining.
— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman
Portland Trail Blazers hire Neil Olshey as general manager
The Portland Trail Blazers have named Neil Olshey as the team’s general manager, Team President Larry Miller announced today.
“Neil is someone we’ve had on our radar for quite a while,” said Miller. “Over the past two seasons he has demonstrated success in constructing a roster, managing salary cap and evaluating player talent. We feel very fortunate to have him in Portland and are thrilled about what this means for the future.”
The 10th general manager in Trail Blazers history, Olshey comes to Portland from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he served as the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations for the past two seasons. Placing third in votes for the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year Award, Olshey was responsible for all facets of basketball operations and player personnel moves while with the Clippers, and will hold the same responsibilities as General Manager of the Trail Blazers.
“I am very pleased to have Neil as our new general manager,” said Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen. “He has the skills and the vision to successfully guide our organization into a new era of Trail Blazers basketball. He’s proven that he can quickly turn around a franchise, and we are confident he can do that in Portland.”
Under Olshey’s direction, the Clippers transitioned into a playoff team this past season after he assembled one of the deepest rosters in the NBA prior to the 2011-12 season. During a six-day span, Olshey added Chris Paul, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups while re-signing DeAndre Jordan to a team that already featured Blake Griffin, Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to become a part of this successful franchise,” said Olshey. “Portland is a great basketball city with a rich tradition, an incredible fan base and committed leadership. I’m joining an organization that has a strong foundation and a bright future. I couldn’t be more excited and I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Olshey, 47, began his nine-year NBA career with the Clippers as Director of Player Development prior to the start of the 2003-04 season, and served as an assistant coach during the 2004-05 campaign before holding the title of Director of Player Personnel from 2005-08. Olshey was promoted to the role of Assistant General Manager prior to the start of the 2008-09.
Prior to joining the Clippers, Olshey was the Director of Player Development for SFX Sports Group, Inc. where he created, organized and conducted predraft and offseason training camps for future and current NBA players. The camps produced 15 lottery picks, 25 first round selections and 57 NBA players. Participants in Olshey’s offseason skill development clinics include more than 85 current NBA players including numerous All Stars and All-NBA selections. He has also served as a Head Coach/Clinician at the Reebok ABCD Camp, the Roundball Classic and numerous NCAA basketball camps throughout the country.
Clippers and Neil Olshey agree to part ways
The Los Angeles Clippers and Neil Olshey today mutually agreed to end discussions concerning Olshey’s future with the team. An agreement in principle, reached and announced on June 1, will not be completed and the two parties have agreed to part ways.
Olshey is going to take a job with the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be announced today.
“Circumstances have obviously undergone some movement since our announcement Friday. In light of that, we want to wish Neil well and acknowledge his contributions during the time he spent with the Clippers,” said Clippers’ President Andy Roeser.
A search for a replacement is already underway, headed up by Roeser. In the interim, all responsibilities pertaining to the team’s basketball operations will be absorbed by Roeser, Head Coach Vinny Del Negro, and Clippers’ Director of Player Personnel Gary Sacks.
Roeser, one of the longest-tenured executives in the National Basketball Association, recently completed his 28th season with the Clippers.
Prior to being named Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2008, Del Negro served as Assistant General Manager of the Phoenix Suns during the 2007-08 season and Director of Player Personnel for the Suns for the 2006-07 campaign.
Sacks, who just completed his 18th season with the Clippers, has served as Director of Player Personnel for the past two years. Sacks held the position of Director of Scouting/Assistant Director of Player Personnel for the previous five seasons.
Lakers exercise Andrew Bynum contract option
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The Los Angeles Lakers made an expected moved today, and kept their young, promising center on the roster for another season.
The Lakers today exercised a team option on Andrew Bynum’s contract for the 2012-13 season. The Los Angeles Times reports that the option is worth $16.1 million for the season.
Bynum, an early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft, became the youngest player in NBA history to be selected when the Lakers used their first round pick (10th overall) to acquire the 7-foot center. A two-time NBA Champion with the Lakers, Bynum signed a multi-year contract extension in October of 2008.
In 60 games this season, Bynum averaged career-highs in points (18.7) and rebounds (11.8) while ranking among league leaders in scoring (20th), rebounding (3rd), field goal percentage (4th/.558), blocked shots (6th/1.93), double-doubles (5th/37) and minutes (24th/35.2). The starting center for the 2011-12 NBA Western Conference All-Star Team, Bynum was named to the All-NBA Second Team following the season, receiving 33 First Team votes and 400 points overall in award balloting (6th highest point total).
Amare Stoudemire is now engaged
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New York Knicks captain and six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire proposed to Alexis Welch, the mother of Stoudemire’s three children, in Paris Saturday night.
Stoudemire asked Welch for her hand in marriage while overlooking the Eiffel Tower lights outside of their penthouse at Le Meurice Hotel Belle Etoile Royal Suite at 11 p.m. local time. He surprised her with a dinner after they spent the day taking a private historical tour of Paris that included stops at the Louvre and other landmarks.
“I have been planning my proposal for a while and overlooking the entire Paris skyline seemed like a perfect place. I am so happy she said ‘yes,’ and now we can continue to build our life together as husband and wife,” Stoudemire told PEOPLE from Paris.
— Reported by People Magazine