Inside Hoops – Page 1672 – NBA Blog

Clippers must soon decide fate of coach Vinny Del Negro

The fate of Los Angeles Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro won’t be known until next week at the earliest, according to sources close to the situation.

But Del Negro’s status must be resolved by next Friday at the latest thanks to the June 1 deadline in his contract for the Clippers to either pick up or decline their third-year team option.

Sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com that the decision rests largely with Clippers owner Donald Sterling, which could help Del Negro. The embattled coach has enjoyed a largely positive relationship with Sterling over the past two seasons, with Sterling issuing a public vote of confidence in Del Negro in March after an ESPN.com report that his job was in jeopardy.

The Clippers then followed up Sterling’s backing by winning 14 of their final 19 regular-season games and toppled the No. 4-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs in a grueling seven-game series before getting swept in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs with the star duo of Chris Paul (hip) and Blake Griffin (knee) trying to play through injuries.

— Reported by Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com

J.R. Smith arrested, released in Miami Beach

Knicks guard J.R. Smith took his talents to South Beach and got arrested.

Miami Beach police say Smith was arrested last night on a bench warrant for not having a valid driver’s license. Police told The Post that Smith was recognized on famed Washington Avenue in South Beach. Police originally said that Smith was pulled over while driving a scooter, but after reviewing the arrest report have now said that is not the case.

The warrant stemmed from Smith, 26, being cited last year in Miami for driving a scooter without a valid driver’s license.

Smith was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail and booked under his legal name of Earl Joseph Smith, shortly before midnight and later was released on bond. Smith has had past transgressions with the law, including vehicular manslaughter charges that were dropped.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Dwyane Wade scores 41, Heat eliminate Pacers in six games

Miami’s Big Two was more than enough to finish off the Indiana Pacers.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James turned around a season on the brink with perhaps the most remarkable week of their high-powered partnership, capped off by a 105-93 victory in Game 6 Thursday night that sent the Heat back to the Eastern Conference finals.

Wade scored 41 points, James had 28 and Miami wrapped up the series 4-2, advancing to face either Boston or Philadelphia.

But this was about more than one game.

This was a dazzling trilogy, Wade and James taking control when the Heat were down and looked like they might be out.

”In the regular season, we’ve had some good games,” Wade said. ”But I don’t know if we’ve ever had three in a row like that in the playoffs.”

Seven days earlier, Miami trailed 2-1 in the series after getting routed 94-75 in Indianapolis. The fired-up Pacers had another game on their home court and a chance to build a commanding lead.

Instead, the Big Three-Turned-Two took over.

With Chris Bosh sidelined by an abdominal injury, James and Wade soared to new heights in their two-man game. Over the course of three dazzling games, James scored 98 points, grabbed 34 rebounds and dished out 24 assists. Wade had 99 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists.

— Reported by Paul Newberry of the Associated Press

“When Wade and James are going like they were tonight and in this series, they’re going to be tough to beat by anybody,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “They were just spectacular in this series, and they were too much for us.”

The Pacers got every conceivable break they could possibly want in this series. They saw Chris Bosh leave the series at halftime of Game 1. They got the one-game suspension of Udonis Haslem for Game 6. They should have taken this thing to seven games, making this a bit of a disappointment in the end.

So there will be regret.

Regret they didn’t take more advantage of the mismatches with Roy Hibbert and David West, the fact they continually failed to feed Hibbert in the post.

Regret they failed to take advantage of Haslem’s one-game suspension in Game 6.

Regret they were sloppy — not soft, but sloppy — turning the ball over 22 times, leading to 26 Heat points.

— Reported by Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star

Miami, led by James and Wade, turned the Pacers’ 22 turnovers into 26 points.

The Pacers averaged 14 turnovers a game during the regular season.

“For whatever reason, we weren’t strong enough with the ball,” Pacers forward David West said. “We didn’t take care of it enough. They’re too good. They capitalize on mistakes. We just got too loose with the ball. They put pressure on you all over the court. We just made some bad plays.”

Three of the five starters had at least three turnovers.

These weren’t normal turnovers, either.

Paul George sent a pass sailing about five rows into the stands on a fast break. Leandro Barbosa attempted to throw a skip pass that landed in the stands.

“I felt the guys were pressing a little bit too much,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “Some of them came from being a little too excited. A lot of these guys are new to this level of play, this level of the playoffs. It’s growing pains.”

— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

“Chris Bosh is an awesome basketball player,” Vogel said, “but when he goes down that means more touches for LeBron and Wade and that’s not necessarily an advantage.”

Then there was the absence of Haslem due to his flagrant foul in Tuesday’s Game 5 free-for-all. While that allowed Pacers power forward David West to step forward with a series-high 24 points, the Heat got enough to offset that with 15 points from point guard Mario Chalmers and 12 from reserve forward Mike Miller.

“I think we’re getting more comfortable playing with a different starting lineup, playing without Chris,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Miller had scored 10 total points in the series’ first five games, before draining four 3-pointers Thursday.

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

But these weren’t the show-stopping, glitz-heavy Hollywood Heat this series in the manner some think them. They lived the Sean Connery line from The Untouchables in this series: “They pull a knife, you pull a gun. They send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue.”

Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough bloodied Wade in the lane? Udonis Haslem bodyslammed Hansbrough to the ground.

Lance Stephenson gave the “choke” sign to LeBron. Dexter Pittman pole-axed Stephenson to the floor in another game.

They came in undermanned without Bosh and the suspended Haslem this Game 6. They fell behind early, kept their composure and ultimately left no doubt who was the better team.

As they should have. As their talent demands. But down 2-1 in this series they faced the kind of crossroads no one expected and Indiana tried to take advantage of.

— Reported by Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Gotye parody song video: The Kobe that we used to know

This is very funny. Enjoy the song:

Shaq declines chance to discuss Magic GM job

NBA great Shaquille O’Neal has declined an invitation to interview for the Orlando Magic’s vacant general manager position.

O’Neal earlier had expressed interest in the job.

“When I first heard about the vacancy for the Orlando Magic general manager position, I was clearly intrigued,” O’Neal said in a statement Thursday. “I was drafted by the Magic, I have a great love for the franchise, and I have made the city of Orlando my home. Additionally, I have great admiration and respect for the DeVos family.

”However, this is not a job I have an interest in pursuing. I feel very fortunate to be with TNT and to have the best job in sports. I look forward to many more years with Charles (Barkley), Kenny (Smith) and E.J. (Ernie Johnson). I wish the best for the Magic and I am confident that they will select a great GM and coach.“

— Reported by the Chicago Tribune

2011-12 All-NBA Teams announced

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James, the 2011-12 NBA Most Valuable Player and winner of three of the previous four MVP awards, highlights the 2011-12 All-NBA First Team. James received 118 of a possible 120 first team votes. Joining James on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite averaging a career-low 37.5 minutes, the eight-time All-Star led the NBA in plus-minus score differential (+7.6) and ranked third in scoring (27.1 ppg), while pacing the Heat in assists (6.2 apg) and tying for the team lead in rebounds (7.9 rpg). In addition, James established career bests in field goal percentage (.531) and three-point field goal percentage (.362). James earns First Team honors for the fifth straight season and sixth time overall.

Durant earns his third All-NBA First Team selection. He led the league in scoring (28.0 ppg) for the third consecutive year, edging Bryant in the second-closest finish all-time, to go along with career highs in rebounds (8.0 rpg) and assists (3.5 apg). Durant scored at least 40 points four times including a career-high 51 on Feb. 19 vs. Denver. He earned All-Star MVP honors after scoring 36 points in the Western Conference’s 152-149 win over the East.

Bryant, an All-NBA First Team selection for the seventh straight season, becomes the active leader for most First-Team nods with 10. Bryant finished second in the league in scoring (27.9 ppg). On Feb. 6, at Philadelphia, Bryant moved past Shaquille O’Neal for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list; and on March 9, at Minnesota, he became the youngest player to 29,000 points (33 years, 199 days). Bryant’s 10 First-Team selections tie for second all-time (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit, and Jerry West). Karl Malone is the all-time leader with 11.

Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the fifth consecutive season, led the league in rebounding with a career-high 14.5 rpg and field goal percentage (.573), and finished second in double-doubles (43) and third in blocks (2.15 bpg). Howard also averaged 20.6 points and was one of only three players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Paul, an All-NBA First Team selection for the second time in his career, paced the league in steals (2.53 spg) and finished third in assists (9.1 apg), adding 19.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg. He posted 23 double-doubles, tying for 16th overall. Paul this season became only the second player (Tim Hardaway, 1990-91) in NBA history to average at least 19.0 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of guards Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, forwards Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and center Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The All-NBA Third Team includes the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo at guard, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki at forward, and the Knicks’ Tyson Chandler at center.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Below are the results of the voting for the 2011-12 All-NBA Teams, with First Team votes in parentheses. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

2011-12 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points
Forward LeBron James, Miami (118) 596
Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (117) 591
Center Dwight Howard, Orlando (75) 476
Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (104) 568
Guard Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (74) 484

2011-12 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points
Forward Kevin Love, Minnesota (16) 365
Forward Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers 170
Center Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers (33) 400
Guard Tony Parker, San Antonio (41) 367
Guard Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City (5) 239

2011-12 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM

Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points
Forward Carmelo Anthony, New York (1) 154
Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 136
Center Tyson Chandler, New York (4) 60
Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (1) 235
Guard Rajon Rondo, Boston (4) 142

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 55; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 52; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 44; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 33; Paul Pierce, Boston, 31; Al Jefferson, Utah, 30; Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, 27; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 24; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 22; Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 18; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 16; Deron Williams, New Jersey, 14; Rudy Gay, Memphis, 10; James Harden, Oklahoma City, 8; Luol Deng, Chicago, 5; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 5; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 3; Danny Granger, Indiana, 3; Joakim Noah, Chicago, 3; Monta Ellis, Milwaukee, 2; Chris Bosh, Miami, 2; Luis Scola, Houston, 2; Marcin Gortat, Phoenix, 2; Paul Millsap, Utah, 2; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 2; David Lee, Golden State, 1; and DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento, 1.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

LeBron James says Tyler Hansbrough should have been ejected in Game 5

To LeBron James, the simple solution could have prevented the bigger mess.

While not directly calling out the officiating crew at Tuesday’s Game 5 of this Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series, James said Thursday that harsher immediate action could have prevented the eventual suspension of Heat power forward Udonis Haslem for Thursday night’s Game 6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

James said had Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough been immediately cited for a Flagrant 2 foul Tuesday and ejected for his hard hit on Dwyane Wade, then there would have been no retaliation foul from Haslem. Hansbrough instead was cited for a Flagrant 1 foul, which allowed him to remain in the game. The NBA later upgraded the violation to a Flagrant 2 foul, which would have mandated immediate ejection…

“If there was a Flagrant 2 to start with,” James said, “then U.D. would have never fouled him, which means U.D. never would have got suspended. I mean Hansbrough, it’s not the first time that he went after one of our players this year. We have two guys suspended and basically they have no one suspended.”

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

Celtics guard Avery Bradley likely done for playoffs

– The Celtics are not expecting to have Avery Bradley for the rest of the playoffs because of a left shoulder injury, a source close to the shooting guard said Wednesday. Asked for a percentage about Bradley having played his final game this season, the source said in the “high 90s.’’

The source said it’s “highly likely’’ Bradley’s left shoulder would pop out again – it has popped out twice in the series against the 76ers – and playing would put him at risk of “serious structural damage.’’

Bradley has missed the past two games with soreness in both shoulders. The Celtics brass, along with Bradley’s representatives, appear close to deciding to sit him for the remainder of the playoffs. Coach Doc Rivers called Bradley’s injury “day to day,’’ but said he was not sure when he would return.

— Reported by the Boston Globe

Reliance on Garnett creates dilemma for Celtics

On one hand, the club knows it needs to get him ample rest if he is to play at a high level. On the other hand, the C’s can’t afford to have him out of the game for too long.

Doc Rivers has tried to manage the 36-year-old center’s minutes, and Wednesday night in Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers Garnett played 41 and had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Boston’s 82-75 loss that set up a Game 7 Saturday.

“It can be hard, but we’ve got to give him breaks or we wouldn’t be getting what we are from him,” said Rivers.

Veteran guard Keyon Dooling may have put it best.

“Unfortunately this isn’t a video game,” he said. “You actually need a little rest.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Lamar Odom might want to join Knicks

Who will Lamar Odom play for next season? That’s currently out of his control. He’s under contract with the Dallas Mavericks, who likely will trade him or waive him.

But a source with knowledge of Odom’s thinking says the New York Knicks would be “on the top of his list” if the Queens native becomes a free agent.

“Lamar is big on being comfortable,” the source said. “And New York is somewhere he can be comfortable.”

The Knicks’ interest in Odom is unclear at this point.

They likely will be limited in their spending this summer. New York is expected to use its mid-level exception to retain restricted free-agent Jeremy Lin, which would leave the organization with little money to spend on free agents.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York