Inside Hoops – Page 1670 – NBA Blog

Stephen Jackson happy to be with Spurs

Games like tonight’s matchup with Oklahoma City are why Jackson said he’s happy to be back in San Antonio.

“To be able to win another championship, to play great basketball and to be in the postseason is something that I love,” Jackson said. “I get up for that. This is an organization that’s always first-class and always has a chance to be in the post season, so I was excited to come back.”

But Jackson said he’s in a different role with this team than in 2003, when he was a starting forward and averaged 12.6 points per game during the playoffs. That evolution gives this playoff run a decidely different feeling than the previous one.

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News

Magic look to Spurs and Thunder front offices in GM search

The Orlando Magic have built their playing rotation in recent years mostly through expensive free-agent signings and costly trades. The results have been mixed. Although the Magic are a perennial playoff participant, and even reached the NBA Finals in 2009, the franchise also has accumulated one of the league’s highest player payrolls.

The Magic appear determined to construct their roster more efficiently in the future. In their search for someone to head their basketball operations department, the team seems to be focusing on executives from small- and mid-market franchises that have built top-notch rosters through the draft.

The Magic expect to interview San Antonio Spurs executive Dennis Lindsey and Oklahoma City Thunder executives Troy Weaver and Rob Hennigan to replace Otis Smith, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Lindsey, the Spurs’ vice president/assistant general manager under team president R.C. Buford, is in his fifth season with San Antonio after spending 11 seasons with the Houston Rockets.

— Reported by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel

Thunder, Spurs franchises have unique connection

The Spurs step onto the Western Conference Finals stage Sunday night feeling a little like Dr. Frankenstein.

The Spurs helped create the monster that wants to devour them.

From Sam Presti’s roots in San Antonio to the civic-minded ownership group of both franchises; from the lottery luck of Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant to the international draft success of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Serge Ibaka; from the fiscal responsibility demanded of a small market to a left-handed sixth man magician, the Thunder mirrors the Spurs in so many ways.

But consider the blueprint a partial payment for services rendered. Long before the NBA was anything but a gleam in Oklahoma City’s eye, OKC helped the Spurs become the stately Spurs.

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett sits on the NBA board of governors. The Thunder is not his first NBA rodeo.

— Reported by Berry Tramel of the San Antonio Express-News

Bulls likely want Luol Deng to skip Olympics

Chris Spice, performance director for British Basketball, accused the Bulls of pressuring Deng to withdraw from his Olympic commitment because of his wrist injury. Spice’s statement also decried the NBA’s lack of support.

NBA and Bulls officials declined to respond.

“Luol Deng is hugely committed to the British Basketball program and he has maintained this stance despite recent pressure for him not to play after injuring his wrist during the highly-demanding shortened NBA season,” Spice’s statement said. “We admire and support his stance. Luol is a true professional and manages his body extremely well as shown by the high amount of minutes he was able to play for his club after sustaining the injury in January.”

The collective bargaining agreement prohibits the Bulls from preventing Deng to play.

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Timberswolves owner thinking playoffs in 2013

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, who also is chairman of the NBA Board of Governors, has been watching his league’s playoffs closely.

“I don’t think there’s a clear champion, and that’s a good thing,” he said.

It also means Taylor expects his Wolves to be in the playoffs next season.

“We have the players to do it,” he said. “We were close this season.”

Taylor also said his team is “going to try” the free-agent market.

— Reported by Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Chicago Bulls may leave practice facility

President and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf said Saturday the team would explore leaving their suburban practice facility for a downtown building, which sources indicated would be near the United Center. Reinsdorf said discussions on the subject have taken place recently with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who supports the project.

“We’re intrigued by the idea,” Reinsdorf said. “We’re happy at the Berto Center, but it’s something we’re going to take a look at for our players. Eliminating their commute could be a good thing.”

Reinsdorf said if the move happens, it wouldn’t be for the 2012-13 season and could take up to two seasons for planning and construction.

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Rondo leads Celtics to Game 7 win over 76ers

Rajon Rondo helped his aging teammates keep their season going Saturday night, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in Game 7 against the 76ers to lead Boston to an 85-75 victory and into an Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Miami Heat.

The Celtics will open the third round of the NBA playoffs in Miami on Monday night…

Bouncing back from his worst game of the playoffs – and snapping out of a 32-minute slump in which he had just two assists and five points – Rondo scored nine straight Boston points after Paul Pierce fouled out to help the Celtics turn a three-point edge into a double-digit lead…

Rondo had 11 points in the fourth quarter, including his first 3-pointer in five games, made all four of his free throws down the stretch and grabbed his 10th rebound in the final minute – chucking it over his head and into the frontcourt to help the Celtics dribble down the clock…

Andre Iguodala scored 18 points, and Holiday and Elton Brand had 15 apiece for the 76ers, who eliminated the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round but couldn’t do the same with the Celtics…

Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, and Ray Allen hit a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers after missing his first five attempts…

The Celtics missed their first 14 attempts from 3-point range and made their last three.

— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press

The Celtics led by as many as 11 points early in the second half. But the Sixers rallied and had a chance to regain the lead as Andre Iguodala missed two free throws late in the third quarter.

And the Sixers were within a point early in the fourth quarter before Garnett hit a jumper and Allen broke a 1-for-9 slump with a 3-pointer. And, though the Sixers seemed capable of rallying, as they had throughout this series, they never got closer than 3 points again.

“Defensively, it was a beautiful game for us,’’ Rivers said. “We took away the paint, the way we hadn’t before [in Game 6]. We got out to the 3-point line – they made some, but overall it was pretty good.’’

The Sixers regained hope after Pierce’s straight-on banker made it 71-65 with 4:54 remaining. Iguodala made a 3-pointer and Pierce fouled out after being was whistled for a charge against Thaddeus Young.

Then Rondo began taking over.

— Reported by Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe

Ray Allen grunted and groaned his way to only 11 points, and at one point early in the fourth quarter his stats were appallingly bad — as in 1-for-9 from the floor, and 0-for-5 on 3-point attempts.

With 9:51 remaining, the outcome was, as they say, very much in doubt. The Celts were clinging to a 57-54 lead in this historic slopfest of a game, each team performing as if they’d just as soon see the other guys advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

That’s when Ray Allen, he of the bone spur in his ankle the size of the Lowell Connector, finally hit on a shot — a 3-point shot no less, increasing the Celtics’ lead to 60-54.

It’s not like that one shot put the game away. The Sixers would soon get back to within three points and were still in the fight with less than five minutes to go. But the very idea that Allen could make a shot — on that bum leg — was surely an encouraging sign.

— Reported by Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald

Whatever was planned worked better as the Sixers were able to forge ahead by 20-19 late in the quarter despite shooting 6 for 20 and committing three turnovers. They also seemed to be in a good spot as Rondo was strapped to the bench with a pair of fouls.

The Sixers, though, found no better success at the offensive end in the second quarter, missing 13 of their 18 shots and giving the ball away five more times. The turnovers gave the Celtics run-outs, and uncharacteristically the Sixers were outscored on fastbreak points by 13-2 in the first half.

The Sixers made a big comeback in the third quarter until Iguodala missed those two free throws.

Iguodala scored 18 points, while Elton Brand and Holiday each scored 15 for the Sixers.

And now the offseason, which is sure to be a busy one, begins for Philadelphia.

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

Chris Bosh remains out indefinitely

When it came to an opponent for their Eastern Conference finals series that opens Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena, the Miami Heat knew a definitive answer would be forthcoming in Saturday night’s Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers Game 7.

When it comes to the status of Chris Bosh, nothing is a given, with the All-Star power forward still listed as being out indefinitely with the lower-abdominal strain sustained in the first half of Game 1 of the Heat’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers.

Asked for clarity regarding Bosh, coach Erik Spoelstra was practically apologetic after Saturday’s practice.

“Not trying to be coy,” Spoelstra said, “he has to heal first, rehab.”

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

New Orleans Times-Picayune to limit printing to three days per week

Many daily newspapers have been moving away from paper for years, emphasizing digital news. Lately, some print dailies have been moving away from publishing daily, too.

To try to combat the industry’s decline — in readership, advertising and profits — a handful of newspapers are now cutting back their publishing schedules from seven days a week in print to just three.

The latest to go to three days a week: The storied New Orleans Times-Picayune, one of America’s oldest papers, which announced Thursday that it plans to limit its print schedule — beginning this fall — to Wednesday, Friday and Sunday editions. It will maintain 24/7 online reporting via its site, Nola.com.

This is a tactical trend for New York-based Advance Publications, which owns the Times-Picayune, as it pushes toward a limited print-digital model. Advance said Thursday that in addition to the Times-Picayune, it will also cut back the print frequency of its three papers in Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville, Ala., to three days.

— Reported by Paul Farhi of the Washington Post

Danny Green living his basketball dream with Spurs

Green, 24, admits to pinching himself every now and again, and for different reasons. Sometimes he does it because he’s playing for Gregg Popovich and with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. (When he was growing up, Green said, he had a Duncan jersey.) Other times, it’s because his road here left Green thinking the NBA wasn’t in his future.

The Cavaliers drafted Green in the second round in 2009 and cut him before the start of the 2010-11 season. The Spurs picked him up and waived him two weeks later. He played for three D-League teams, and for Union Olimpija in Slovenia during the 2011 lockout.

“When I got cut from Cleveland, they weren’t one of the best teams in the NBA at the time, so I had some doubts,” Green said. “I didn’t think I was going to get back into the league. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen for me. When I was let go from here the first time, teams weren’t calling. I didn’t think it was going to ever happen then. I was home for two months and I didn’t know what was going on.”

Green might be the perfect embodiment of the Spurs. They’re a team that gets little publicity, is overlooked or underappreciated, and thrives through hard work, dedication and following the game plan.

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday