NBA says if Donald Sterling is out, Shelly Sterling will be out too

In response to statements made by Shelly Sterling, wife of Donald Sterling, NBA spokesman Mike Bass stated:

“Under the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a 3/4 vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well.  It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here.  These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

Clippers beat Thunder 101-99, tie series 2-2

After being thoroughly outplayed for over 40 minutes, the Los Angeles Clippers fought back.

Leading the way was a player not known for coming up big in the clutch.

Darren Collison scored eight of his 18 points in the final 2:58, rallying the Clippers past the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-99 on Sunday to tie the Western Conference semifinal series 2-2…

Russell Westbrook, who scored 27 points, missed a 3-pointer and Serge Ibaka’s tip attempt was too late at the buzzer, allowing the Clippers to salvage a game they trailed until the final 1:23…

Blake Griffin led Los Angeles with 25 points, making 9 of 11 free throws. Jamal Crawford added 18 points. DeAndre Jordan had 14 rebounds, helping the Clippers win the boards, 45-43 — the first time in 11 playoff games the Thunder were outrebounded.

“We just willed this one. We found a way,” said Chris Paul, who had 23 points and 10 assists.

Kevin Durant scored 40 points, hitting 15 of 18 free throws, for the Thunder.

— Associated Press

Paul Pierce says Nets not scared of Heat

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the Heat and Nets, who are facing each other in the second round of the 2014 NBA playoffs. The Heat currently lead the series 2-1, but the Nets stepped up yesterday to win Game 3 in Brooklyn yesterday.

The Nets made their stand last night against LeBron James, and Brooklyn showed up to stand with them.

When you are The King of your sport, you live for these occasions, when the opponent is reeling and desperate and you have the chance to go for the throat and choke the last vestiges of life out of it.

Once you become The King, every game becomes a Game of Thrones, every series a Series of Thrones.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, remember, came to Brooklyn to threaten The Kingdom, and with a lot of luck and Mikhail Prokhorov maybe installing a Fountain of Youth somewhere inside Barclays Center, to dream the improbable dream of shocking the world and somehow wresting the crown from The King.

That dream stayed alive Saturday night when Brooklyn, a 104-90 winner, played with a toughness and an edge and a pride that reflects Mike Tyson’s borough and refused to let King James grab a 3-0 series lead and bury it.

“We’re not scared of them,” Pierce said.

Marv Albert says Steve Kerr would make a great coach

Here’s ESPN New York reporting:

Marv Albert says Steve Kerr would make a great coach

Marv Albert has no doubt that Steve Kerr can coach in the NBA.

“He would make a tremendous coach, whatever he decides to do,” Albert, Kerr’s broadcast partner on TNT, said in a phone interview earlier this week. “He has all the qualities, in terms of like-ability, and what he knows about the game. He’s been a general manager (and) he was a player who also knows Xs and Os. I think he’d be terrific.”

One thing that worries Albert, the former voice of the Knicks, is team owner James Dolan.

Albert says that Dolan needs to leave president Phil Jackson and whomever he hires as his head coach “alone.”

“Dolan has to let them, leave them alone. That’s No. 1. And it hasn’t happened in the past,” Albert said.