NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
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It appears the 76ers could find the backup point guard they’re looking for in Will Bynum.
The Sixers, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons are potential suitors for the Piston, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, according to the Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Vince Ellis.
Reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer (Blog)
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The NBA continues to do its part in trying to curb a growing fad by players to flop their way into getting a favorable call from the officials.
Miami Heat center Chris Bosh has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The incident occurred with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter of the Heat’s 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 13 at the AT&T Center.
To view the play, click on this link.
Some fans have asked why more players aren’t receiving flopping fines, but there’s no way to prove that a player really fell in a manner that wasn’t natural. Even some falls that look “obvious” aren’t quite so clear when seen from a different angle.
But, what Bosh did in that play certainly did look like he exaggerated what little contact there was.
Fortunately for Bosh and the Heat, his team came away with a big Game 4 win.
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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday that Ginobili hasn’t found a rhythm in the playoffs. But he says it’s too simplistic to merely ask, ”What are we going to do to get him going?”
Simplistic, maybe. But their prospects of the Spurs winning a fifth title may hinge on just that.
Ginobili scored just five points in Thursday night’s loss. He’s averaging 7.5 points in the Finals, down from his 11.8 scoring average during the regular season.
Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press
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The Los Angeles Clippers have not formally requested permission to interview Celtics coach Doc Rivers in the wake of widespread reports about Rivers’ potential departure from Boston, but there is strong mutual interest between the parties, according to sources close to the situation.
Sources told ESPN.com on Thursday that Rivers is highly intrigued by the idea of coaching the Clippers in the event that he and the Celtics part company after nine seasons together and one championship in 2008. Sources say the Clippers, meanwhile, would immediately vault Rivers to the top of their list if he became available as they continue a coaching search that, to this point, has focused on Brian Shaw, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins.
The Los Angeles Times, citing several NBA executives, reported Wednesday that if Rivers decides he doesn’t want to coach in Boston anymore, the Clippers would be interested in him and he would become their No. 1 choice.
ESPN.com has also learned the Celtics and Clippers — in an offshoot of February’s Kevin Garnett-to-L.A. trade talks — discussed expanded trade scenarios that could have sent both Garnett and close friend Paul Pierce to the Clippers before the league’s Feb. 21 trade deadline.
Reported by Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com
With their backs against the wall and hopes of repeating as champions fading, the Miami Heat’s Big Three used a dominating performance to beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-93 on Thursday and even the NBA Finals at 2-2.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had their best game of the NBA Finals, combining for 85 points as the Heat reclaimed home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
“I mean, it was on our shoulders, obviously,” James, who had a game-high 33 points, told reporters.
“When all three of us are clicking at the same time, we’re a very tough team to beat.”
Wade turned in his biggest offensive performance of the playoffs, scoring 32 points, while Bosh equaled his postseason high by chipping in with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
“All of them provided us great energy defensively. And that got us off to a decent start. And quite obviously they are big components to what we do offensively,” said Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“We run almost every trigger through them. This happened to be a game where they were all able to be aggressive. The next game might present a different challenge. But we needed every bit of it tonight.”
Reported by Frank Pingue of Reuters
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Miami Heat owner Micky Arison had a message as he walked to the winning locker room.
”The death of the Big Three was overrated,” he said.
Sure was. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his three prized players, are just fine.
So are the Heat’s championship hopes.
Riding big performances from their three All-Stars, the Heat tied the NBA Finals with a 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night in Game 4…
James had 33 points and 11 rebounds after failing to break 20 points in any of the first three games of the series, and Wade scored 32 points, 11 more than his previous high this postseason.
Bosh matched his playoff high with 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, he and Wade supplying the baskets that finally put the Spurs away for good midway through the fourth quarter.
Three players, 85 points. Just the way the Heat envisioned it when they signed James and Bosh to play with Wade in 2010.
”When Bosh, Wade and James score the way they did tonight and shoot it the way they did tonight, a team is going to have a difficult time if you help them like we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
”When those guys are playing like that, you better be playing a perfect game.”
The Spurs weren’t, committing 19 turnovers that led to 23 points…
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Tim Duncan scored 20 points for the Spurs, who have one more game here on Sunday. They fell to 10-3 at home all-time in the finals, failing to back up their 113-77 victory in Game 3 that was the third-most lopsided score in the history of the championship series…
Wade shot 14 of 25, adding six steals, six rebounds and four assists in a performance that James compared to when Wade was MVP of the 2006 finals.
Tony Parker had 15 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who made a finals-record 16 3-pointers on Tuesday but got up only 16 attempts in this one. Gary Neal scored 13 points and Danny Green had 10, solid nights but nothing like when they combined for 13 3-pointers two nights earlier.
Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press
Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli underwent successful surgery yesterday on his right knee, the team announced. The procedure, which was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, was necessary to reinforce both the medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in Ezeli’s right knee. Ezeli suffered a sprained right knee during the club’s regular-season finale this season at Portland on April 17. He will begin rehabilitation in the near future and is expected to make a complete recovery. The team’s medical staff indicates that recovery time could be a minimum of 6-9 months.
Ezeli, 23, appeared in 78 regular-season games (41 starts) as a rookie this past season, averaging 2.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.95 blocks (4th among NBA rookies) in 14.4 minutes per game. His 41 starts were the most by a Warriors rookie center since Joe Barry Carroll started 80 games in 1980-81 and also marked the second-most starts amongst NBA rookies this season – trailing only teammate Harrison Barnes (81).
Originally selected by Golden State with the 30th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, the 6’11” center appeared in 12 playoff games, averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per contest.
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Spurs guard Tony Parker said he will play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after his availability was in doubt because of a mild right hamstring strain.
Parker wouldn’t address his injury at practice Thursday other than answering ”I’ll be ready to go” to multiple questions about his health. The All-Star was hurt early in the second half of Game 3, which the Spurs won to take a 2-1 lead over the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series.
The question now is whether Parker will show any signs of being sore or ailing against the Heat. An MRI taken Wednesday revealed a Grade 1 strain, the mildest level, but Parker had been uncertain about his status until Thursday morning.
Despite Parker getting hurt Tuesday night, the Spurs still walloped Miami 113-77.
Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press
Spurs guard Tony Parker opened the NBA Finals with a memorable shot at the end of Game 1.
San Antonio’s 92-88 victory gave hope that the series against the defending champion Miami Heat was going to be full of close games.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way so far.
What followed Parker’s sensational shot in Game 1 – a twisting, ducking, barely shot clock-beating jumper off the glass – was a 19-point Heat blowout in Game 2 and the Spurs coasting to a 113-77 win on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 series lead.
The blowouts have sent the stars on both teams to the bench early and allowed guys such as DeJuan Blair and James Jones to run out the clock.
— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press
The Brooklyn Nets have named former Net Jason Kidd as the team’s new head coach, General Manager Billy King announced tonight. Kidd becomes the 18th head coach in the franchise’s NBA history.
“On behalf of the Nets organization, I am very pleased to welcome Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” said King. “Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience. This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn.”
“Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York,” said Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “He has the fire in the belly we need, and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it’s a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days,” said Kidd. “Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that’s how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career.”
Kidd, who captained the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, played in 506 games over six and a half seasons for New Jersey, averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Throughout his tenure with the Nets, Kidd led the team to six consecutive playoff appearances, including two Eastern Conference Championships and four Atlantic Division titles. As a Net, Kidd was selected as an NBA All-Star five times while being named to an All-NBA team three times and an NBA All-Defensive team six times. In Nets all-time NBA history, Kidd currently ranks first in assists (4,620), steals (950), three-point field goals made (813) and triple-doubles 61, second in minutes played (18,737), fourth in points (7,373) and rebounds (3,662), fifth in games played (506) and sixth in field goals made (2,613) and free throws made (1,352). In 78 playoff games, Kidd holds Nets all-time records for points, assists, rebounds, steals, field goals made/attempted, three-point field goals made/attempted, minutes and games played.
Over his 19 year NBA playing career, Kidd holds averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals, while playing for Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey and New York. On the League’s all-time leaders lists he ranks: second in assists (12,091) and steals (2,684), third in minutes (50,111), three-point field goals (1,988) and triple-doubles (107), sixth in games played (1,391), 50th overall in rebounds and first overall amongst guards (8,725), 71st in points scored (17,529).