The AP reports:

The New Orleans Hornets continue to interview candidates for their vacant coaching job; former NBA head coach Lawrence Frank and current Portland assistant Monty Williams are the latest.

Team spokesman Harold Kaufman confirms that Frank and Williams met with team officials on Tuesday in New Orleans, bringing the number of candidates interviewed by the Hornets up to seven.

When it comes to promoting itself, the NBA is all about global expansion. (And those constant “NBA Cares” ads.) And the next logical step is to have a few regular season games take place overseas.

I would assume that the team(s) losing home games would have to be compensated for their lost income. But other than that, it seems pretty easy to work out.

Reuters reports:

The NBA is actively considering staging a regular-season game in London next season, Commissioner David Stern said.

Stern, speaking to reporters before Monday’s playoff game in Salt Lake City between the Jazz and the visiting Lakers, reaffirmed a previous commitment to bring the NBA to London before the city hosts the 2012 Olympics.

I do not believe that hosting preseason games overseas helps promote the NBA. In preseason, the stars play limited minutes. Lots of players aren’t in peak physical condition. And preseason games don’t matter. That’s not the best way to win new fans.

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

Nobody knows where Carlos Boozer will end up after he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

That’s not the only unsettled — and unsettling — question regarding the Utah Jazz power forward.

Many had to wonder where he was Monday for most of Game 4, too.

Miami? Chicago? New Jersey? Detroit?

Boozer — especially his offensive game the Jazz rely on — was missing in action for much of the night during Utah’s season-ending 111-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at EnergySolutions Arena.

“I thought I was terrible,” Boozer admitted.

Struggling again to cope with the Los Angeles Lakers’ length, Boozer didn’t seem to save his best for what could have been his last performance in a Jazz uniform. Though he grabbed 14 rebounds, Boozer’s shot was way off again… He missed seven of 11 field goals and finished with only 10 points.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Head Coach Lionel Hollins have agreed on a multi-year contract extension, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

In his first full season as an NBA head coach, Hollins guided Memphis to a 40-42 record (.488), the fourth-best season in the franchise’s 15-year history.  The Grizzlies recorded a 16-game improvement in 2009-10, second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Since naming Hollins the 11th head coach in club history on Jan. 25, 2009, Memphis has steadily improved, posting a 53-68 record (.438) after going 55-152 (.266) in the two-and-a-half seasons prior.

Under Hollins, the Grizzlies set franchise records in 2009-10 for scoring (102.5 points) and field goal percentage (.469) while establishing the longest home and road winning streaks in club history (11-game home winning streak from Dec. 18, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010, seven-game road winning streak from Feb. 17-March 10, 2010).  The former 1978 NBA All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers also helped Grizzlies forward and nine-year NBA veteran Zach Randolph earn his first career All-Star appearance, as he set or tied 16 franchise records in his first season in the Bluff City.

The 22-year NBA coaching veteran was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month after leading the Grizzlies to a 9-4 record (.692) in December, the best December record and sixth-highest winning percentage for a single month in team history.

An original member of the Grizzlies organization as an assistant coach with Vancouver in 1995, Hollins rallied Memphis to win 39 of its final 73 games (.534) after a 1-8 start to the season.  He also helped the Grizzlies snap long-standing road losing streaks against opponents such as the San Antonio Spurs (10 games), New Orleans Hornets (eight games), Phoenix Suns (seven games), Chicago Bulls (five games), Portland Trail Blazers (four games) and Philadelphia 76ers (four games).  The Grizzlies also defeated every NBA division leader this season.

A member of the 1977 NBA Champion Portland Trail Blazers, Hollins holds a lifetime NBA coaching record of 71-114 (.384), having served as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach for 60 games in the 1999-00 season and four games during the 2004-05 campaign.

The AP reports:

The Lakers stormed out to a 22-point lead in the first half, then withstood a brief surge by Utah in the third quarter before regaining control in the fourth and winning 111-96 on Monday night, sweeping the second-round series and advancing to the Western Conference finals for the third straight year.

“With close-out games, you have a tendency to lose focus,” said Kobe Bryant, who scored 32 for the Lakers. “We kept our concentration and paid attention to detail.”

Pau Gasol added 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who are off until hosting the Phoenix Suns next Monday in Game 1 of the West finals…

“We’re a playoff team and they’re a championship team. They’re just better than we are,” said Deron Williams, who had 21 points and nine assists for the Jazz…

Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Kyrylo Fesenko added 12 rebounds for Utah, which was swept for the first time in 21 years.

The AP reports:

Vince Carter scored 22 points to lead another dominating performance by the Magic, which finished off its second straight playoff sweep with a 98-84 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Orlando won the four games by an average of 25.3 points—a total blowout that no one could have expected in a matchup between the teams that finished second and third in the Eastern Conference. It was the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA playoff history, according to STATS LLC…

“We would have to be playing at our absolute, absolute best—like, mistake free—to beat that team,” said Jamal Crawford, who led Atlanta with 18 points…

Atlanta held Dwight Howard to 13 points and eight rebounds, but the Magic had plenty of other options…

Jameer Nelson was unstoppable, baffling the Hawks with his now-you-see-him, now-you-don’t quickness. He finished with 16 points and nine assists. Rashard Lewis scored 17 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Mickael Pietrus scored 12 points—all of them from beyond the arc.

As a team, Orlando was 16 of 37 from 3-point range, taking more long-range shots than two-pointers (28). Overall, the Magic shot 55 percent from the field and never trailed during either game in Atlanta…

Hawks star Joe Johnson finished off a miserable series by scoring only 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting.