NBA Basketball Blog from InsideHoops.com
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The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday center Andrew Bynum will miss the remainder of the NBA Playoffs and will not be with the team.
“We want to thank Andrew and our medical staff for trying to get the issues with his knee resolved,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “We wish him the best in the future.”
Bynum was signed as a free agent Feb. 1, and played in just two games with averages of 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.
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San Antonio Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford is the recipient of the 2013-14 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year award, the NBA announced today.
Buford assembled a roster this season that featured six players averaging double figures in scoring and eight players averaging 20 or more minutes. The Spurs clinched homecourt advantage for the 2014 postseason by virtue of having posted the league’s best record at 62-20 (.756). San Antonio was the only team to record 30-plus wins both at home (32-9, .780) and on the road (30-11, .732), and the 2013-14 campaign marked the 15th consecutive season that the Spurs posted 50-plus wins – an NBA record.
The longstanding trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker has been fortified in recent years with the additions of Boris Diaw, Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills (third seasons with the team), as well as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter (fourth seasons with the team). Buford added Marco Belinelli this past offseason, who fit seamlessly into the rotation, with averages of 11.4 ppg (fifth on the team) and 25.2 mpg (fourth on the team).
Buford becomes the third Spurs Executive to win the award, joining Angelo Drossos (1977-78 season) and Bob Bass (1989-90 season). The Spurs tied the fifth-longest winning streak in NBA history this season, when they peeled off 19 consecutive victories between Feb. 26-April 2.
In his 23rd year with the franchise, Buford has previously held the positions of Assistant Coach, Head Scout, Director of Scouting and Vice President/Assistant General Manager before being tabbed with his current title as Spurs General Manager in July, 2002. Buford also holds the overarching title of President of Sports Franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, presiding over the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars, the NBA Development League’s Austin Toros and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, in addition to the Spurs.
Buford totaled 58 points and received nine first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team basketball executives throughout the NBA. The Phoenix Suns’ Ryan McDonough finished second with 47 points (five first-place votes) votes and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Neil Olshey finished third with 34 points (five first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Lady Gaga was no match for the NBA’s playoff schedule.
The Washington Wizards announced Tuesday that the Grammy winner’s May 15 concert at the Verizon Center has been moved up to May 12 because it conflicts with a possible Game 6 in the club’s Eastern Conference playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
— Associated Press
Tuesday in San Antonio the Spurs beat the Trail Blazers 116-92. Tony Parker shot 13-of-24 for 33 points and nine assists in the win. Enjoy these Parker video highlights:
Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on Steve Kerr:
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Steve Kerr is now the top candidate for three high-profile jobs, with the Golden State Warriors joining the Lakers as formidable competition for Phil Jackson and the Knicks.
According to a league source, Warriors owner Joe Lacob wants to hire Kerr to replace Mark Jackson, who was fired on Tuesday following three successful seasons as Golden State’s head coach. In fact, the Warriors wasted no time reaching out to Kerr, contacting him less than three hours after Jackson was dismissed. And a source maintains that the Warriors’ job is Kerr’s if he wants it.
The Knicks are still in play, but it is telling that Kerr — who met with Jackson 11 days ago in New York — has not made a decision, and that by delaying, two attractive jobs have become available.
Turning down Jackson in New York to coach Jackson’s former club in Los Angeles would be a stunning turn of events. The Warriors seem more logical since Kerr has several connections to the organization. He knows Lacob well and has a relationship with Lacob’s son Kirk, who works in Golden State’s front office. Kerr also worked with Warriors president Rick Welts in Phoenix.
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The video game company 2K has announced that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, four-time NBA scoring champion, and recently crowned 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant will make his solo debut as video game cover athlete on NBA 2K15, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise. With the selection, Durant completes a banner year in which he garnered the NBA’s top award for the first time in his career and fulfilled his lifelong dream of being the feature athlete on an NBA 2K cover, all while cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of this generation.
“I’m honored to be selected for the cover of NBA 2K,” said Durant, who is currently leading the Oklahoma City Thunder against Los Angeles Clippers during this year’s NBA Playoffs. “I’ve been an avid fan and player of NBA 2K since I was a kid, and being selected as the sole cover athlete of NBA 2K15 is an amazing accomplishment at this point of my life. I feel like my time has come.”
“We’re continually challenging ourselves to align the NBA 2K franchise with the best of this generation, and Kevin Durant brings one of the NBA’s greatest into our stable of kings,” said Alfie Brody, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “Our goal is to consistently bring an unmatched experience for the millions of fans that play the NBA 2K series, while paralleling the NBA’s evolution and growth year-over-year.”
In addition to his accomplishments as four-time NBA scoring champion, and winning the 2014 NBA MVP award, Durant’s impressive basketball resume includes four All-NBA team selections, five NBA All-Star selections, and the 2007-2008 NBA Rookie of the Year award, solidifying him as the perfect choice to bring NBA 2K basketball to fans across the globe
Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Heat and Nets, who are facing each other in the Eastern conference semifinals:
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This is what it’s supposed to look like when the two-time defending champ plays the sixth seed.
It’s supposed to be lopsided, with the favorites imposing their will and their athletic advantage, scoring easily and often under the basket.
Only it wasn’t supposed to happen to the Nets, not after they beat the Heat in all four regular-season meetings.
“Regular seasons don’t even matter,” Miami’s Dwyane Wade said.
Like the Heat was preaching all along, the playoffs are a different animal. It became painfully apparent for the Nets on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena, where they were stomped by a balanced Miami attack and fell in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It was just too easy for LeBron James and Co. in their 107-86 domination. They outscored the Nets in the paint, 52-28. They shot 57%, breaking open the game in the third quarter before Jason Kidd waved the white flag.