Author: Inside Hoops

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Should the NBA have its own Hall of Fame?

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel with some analysis:

The NBA should have its own hall of fame.

There is a College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville and a FIBA (international) Hall of Fame in Spain.

But when it comes to NBA inductees, they go into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., along with those who made their marks collegiately, internationally and in the women’s game.

That said, because the Naismith Hall is about more than the NBA, because it also is about college and international play, because it is about using the game for greater good, a week from Monday should be a particularly meaningful day for the Miami Heat.

It should be the day Alonzo Mourning is named to join previously inducted Pat Riley in Springfield, with the Naismith Class of 2014 to be announced in the hours before the NCAA Tournament championship game in Dallas.

Jermaine O`Neal sticks up for coach Mark Jackson

Here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting on the Golden State Warriors:

Warriors veteran big man Jermaine O’Neal called any talk of firing coach Mark Jackson “ridiculous” and “unfair” before offering a vote of confidence unique to his own NBA career.

O’Neal is considering retirement, and if the 35-year-old were to decide to play next season, he said it would be because of Jackson and that the team he would choose would be the Warriors.

“It’s a couple reasons why I will come back,” O’Neal said Saturday. “This fan base, this organization is first class, and obviously my teammates are great, as well.

“But the No. 1 reason that I will come back and play another year is because of Coach Jackson. I’m absolutely, 100 percent positive about that. He makes it easy to come in this gym every day, and there’s not a lot of coaches that do that.”

Nikola Pekovic, still hurting, back for Wolves

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic had his list of answers mentally prepared when he returned to action and the starting lineup Friday after six games away injured.

“No, no, let me figure,” he told reporters. “Yes, I will play tonight. No, I don’t know if they limit me to minutes or not. Yes, I still feel pain. What else?”

Pekovic played for the first time since March 16 because of a lingering condition that the team once called bursitis and now just lists as “sore.” He scored a game-high 26 points in 21-plus minutes as the Wolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 143-107.

When asked why Friday was the proper night for his return, Pekovic replied: “Why not? I still got some pain there, maybe a little less than before so I said I’ll just try to play until the end of the season.”

Knicks get blown out by Suns, 112-88

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Knicks, who despite their 30-43 record still have a shot at making the playoffs:

In the immortal words of Phil Jackson, “just awful.”

That phrase, uttered by Jackson following the Knicks’ dreadful performance against the Lakers Tuesday night, applies to just about everything Mike Woodson’s team did on Friday night. From Raymond Felton’s defense to the Knicks’ idea of being in a playoff race, Mike Woodson’s team continues to make a compelling case for why it doesn’t deserve a postseason berth.

“We weren’t ready for them,” Carmelo Anthony said following the Suns’ 112-88 victory. “We weren’t prepared for them and they ran us out of the gym. We didn’t fight. We didn’t have it and they had it in all aspects of the game.”

The Knicks (30-43) have now lost three of their last four and are now two full games behind the Atlanta Hawks with nine games remaining starting with Sunday against Golden State.

“If you ask me, I think we can win all nine games,” said Amar’e Stoudemire, trying to sound optimistic.

Wizards step up and beat Pacers, 91-78

John Wall scored 20 points, and the Washington Wizards avenged two of their biggest losses of the season Friday night, never trailing in a 91-78 win over the cold-shooting, turnover-prone Indiana Pacers.

Marcin Gortat added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Al Harrington added 12 points, including a personal 10-0 run in the second quarter, for the Wizards, who dropped their first two games against the Pacers this season by a combined 47 points. Of Washington’s three losses by 20-plus points this season, two have been against Indiana.

But Indiana was due for a letdown, two nights after a big win over the Miami Heat in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers committed five turnovers in the first four minutes Friday and shot 35 percent overall.

Paul George scored 19 points, and Lance Stephenson had 13 points and matched a career-high with 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost a season-high four straight road games.

— Associated Press

Brooklyn Nets keep winning at home

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Nets and their success at home in Brooklyn:

Paul Pierce understands the Nets have made this bed with their ugly start and subsequent hiccups.

But, boy, with the way they’ve been playing lately at Barclays Center, Brooklyn could really benefit from home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The Nets won their 12th straight at home on Friday night, profiting from an effective barrage from downtown in a 108-97 victory over the hapless Cavaliers. It snapped a two-game losing streak, and was a much-needed breeze following three straight overtime games on the road.

Still, the fifth-seeded Nets (38-33) didn’t gain any ground in the division race because the Raptors (41-31) toppled the Celtics. The Nets did, however, move to within 1½ games of the fourth-seeded Bulls (40-32), who were blown out by the Blazers.