Inside Hoops – Page 1688 – NBA Blog

Avery Bradley suffers dislocated shoulder

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said starting shooting guard Avery Bradley dislocated his left shoulder during Friday’s Game 3 win over the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and his status is uncertain.

“Shoulder went out,” Rivers said. “And he’s had that problem all year. Usually they’re able to — like a Lego — snap it back in. It wouldn’t go back in. So we’ll find out more (Saturday).”

Bradley suffered the injury late in the third quarter and departed for the locker room along with team doctor Brian McKeon with 2:06 to play in the frame. The team initially said Bradley would return, but soon ruled him out for the rest of the game.

— Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston

Lawson scores 25 as Nuggets beat Lakers in Game 3

Ty Lawson scored 25 points and the Denver Nuggets raced to an early 24-point lead on their way to a 99-84 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in Game 3 of their first-round series.

JaVale McGee had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who will try to even the best-of-seven series at two games each on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.

Playing with an energy and enthusiasm that had been missing in the playoffs, the Nuggets grabbed a 55-39 halftime lead by stifling Andrew Bynum down low and forcing Kobe Bryant to work harder for his baskets.

Although both Bynum and Bryant got it going after halftime and the Lakers cut their deficit to four points in the third quarter, the hole was too big to climb out of.

Bynum’s putback with 1:18 left in the third quarter not only pulled the Lakers to 68-64 but his inadvertent elbow on the play broke Al Harrington’s nose. He didn’t return, but the Nuggets went on a 12-5 run to regain their composure and control of the game.

Bryant finished with 22 points on 7-of-23 shooting after scoring 31 and 38 points in L.A.’s two wins at the Staples Center, and Bynum had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Kenneth Faried had a double-double for Denver, scoring 12 points and pulling down 15 rebounds as the Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers 55-44. Denver’s bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 39-9.

— Reported by Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press

76ers beat Bulls 79-74 in Game 3 for 2-1 lead

Spencer Hawes scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and hit the go-ahead jumper late in the fourth quarter to help the Philadelphia 76ers rally to beat the Chicago Bulls 79-74 on Friday night and take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Hawes scored 10 clutch points in the fourth to give the eighth-seeded Sixers the surprising series lead.

Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Already playing the rest of the series without reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls got another scare in the third quarter when Joakim Noah left with a sprained left ankle. Noah, who scored 12 points, returned in the fourth quarter and mostly hobbled around the court…

The Bulls missed 10 straight field goals over 5-plus minutes in the fourth to lose all of their 14-point lead.

Holiday scored 17 points and Turner had 16 while reserve Lou Williams added 14.

Carlos Boozer had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls and Richard Hamilton scored 17 points…

The Bulls need to figure out a new way to play without Rose and to protect Noah if they don’t want this series to slip away.

— Reported by Dan Gelston of the Associated Press

Rondo helps Celtics beat Hawks 90-84 in OT

Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Celtics to a 90-84 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night and give Boston a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

It was the seventh career playoff triple-double for Rondo, who missed Game 2 because he was suspended for bumping a referee in the closing minutes of the series opener.

Game 4 is Sunday night.

Ray Allen returned for Boston after missing almost a month and scored 13 points in 38 minutes. Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Paul Pierce had 21 points one game after having 36 points and 14 rebounds to help the Celtics swipe home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in Atlanta.

Joe Johnson scored 29 points and Jeff Teague had 23 for the Hawks. Tracy McGrady had 12 points – his highest total since he had 40 for Houston in 2008 – but 10 were in the first half, before he landed awkwardly on his right ankle and went to the locker room. He did not have a field goal in the second half.

— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press

Julius Erving hired as strategic adviser to Philadelphia 76ers owners

Philadelphia 76ers CEO and Co-Owner Adam Aron announced today that the team has reached an agreement with Julius Erving under which Dr. J will for the next several years formally associate himself in a part-time capacity with his former team as a Strategic Adviser.

In his new role, which runs at least through 2015, Erving will offer advice and counsel to Aron and Sixers Managing Owner Joshua Harris; will be available to the 76ers front office and coaches as they may wish from time to time; and in numerous ways as his primary focus will interact with Sixers fans and sponsors as a goodwill ambassador for the team.

Looking forward, the 76ers will also explore other ways which will evolve and become apparent over time in which the 76ers can be cooperative with Julius in his other professional activities through his holding companies, “Dr. J Enterprises” and “The Erving Group.”

The announcement was made during the first home playoff game of the 2011-2012 season, at which Erving had the honor to present the evening’s game ball to the referees before a packed house at the Wells Fargo Center. This same evening, Harris and Aron also hosted Erving as the guest of honor at a pre-game dinner for a select group of about a hundred Philadelphia 76ers season ticket holders. This is Julius’ third Sixers game of the year, having attended both the first and last games of the regular season as well. He is expected to be at Sunday’s fourth playoff game against the Chicago Bulls as well.

Erving’s brilliant basketball career saw him become the 3rd leading scorer of all time in professional basketball, scoring more than 30,000 points in the ABA and NBA. Most of those took place in his 11 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, including the memorable ‘82-‘83 season in which the 76ers won the NBA Championship. Erving repeatedly has been named an All-Star and a Most Valuable Player. In 1993, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, Erving was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. His number 6 was retired by the 76ers, and hangs in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center as a lasting reminder of Julius Erving’s electrifying skills and accomplishments both on and off the court. To this day, Erving remains quite close with many of his former 76ers teammates, including Doug Collins, the immensely popular Head Coach of the Sixers.

Aron said, “Julius Erving is not only one of the greatest players ever to play basketball, he is also one of the classiest and most dignified gentlemen I have ever known. If ever there was an exemplary role model among professional sportsmen, it would have to be the Doctor, Julius Erving. On behalf of the all of us at the 76ers, we are thrilled he is reuniting with his former Sixers team, some 25 years after his retirement as an active player in the NBA. We know that Sixers fans and sponsors especially will enjoy getting to reunite with Julius as well.” Aron concluded, “After his brilliant career as a Sixer, the legacy of Dr. J in Philadelphia is unparalleled. He is nothing less than revered in Philadelphia, and we are so excited that Julius Erving is a 76er once again. We know that his help will be invaluable to us as we continue to strengthen the bond between the 76ers of today and tomorrow with Philadelphia area sports fans.”

Erving said, “I have such fond memories of my many playing years with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1970s and 1980s. I look forward to continuing that long association with the 76ers in this day. I have been impressed by the initial steps taken by this new ownership group to reconnect the Sixers with their fans, and I am confident that the future of the 76ers looks quite bright. I know that I will greatly enjoy being able to offer advice and counsel to the team and its owners. It will also be particularly pleasing to me to have frequent and sustained contact directly with the 76ers fan base, who have been so kind to me over the years. Once a Sixer, always a Sixer.”

Erving will continue to reside in Atlanta, and expects to make multiple trips and appearances in the Philadelphia area in each of the seasons ahead.

Since Harris acquired the Sixers in 2011, the team has engaged with several distinguished 76ers alumni. In addition to Julius, such other Sixers greats as Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton, Darryl Dawkins, Rick Mahorn and the surviving family of Wilt Chamberlain all have appeared and been saluted at Sixers home games this season. The team also has had private communications and interactions with a vast number of additional former Sixers players.

Erving becomes the second former Sixers player to assume a more enduring and formal role. For many years, World B. Free has ably served as a fulltime Goodwill Ambassador for the Sixers and will continue to do so.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor seeks eventual successor

Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is in the market for his eventual successor.

Taylor told The Associated Press on Friday that he is looking to add a minority partner who could buy a part of the team that includes an option to buy Taylor out after observing the day-to-day operations of running a professional sports team.

Taylor said he has yet to speak to any specific candidates, but made it clear that one of the biggest priorities for him will be a commitment to keeping the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

“I could find somebody to buy the team. That’s not my problem,” Taylor said at his office at Taylor Corp., a privately held printing and marketing giant. “I have to find someone that’s committed to here. It’s always best if it would be a Minnesotan. I’m telling you I don’t know that’s the way it’s going to work out. I haven’t had a lot of Minnesotans step up.”

There has long been speculation about who would take over for Taylor, who saved the Wolves from moving to New Orleans when he purchased the team in 1994. Now, Taylor thinks the timing is right to open up the search.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Mike Woodson says Carmelo Anthony must shape up next season

Mike Woodson’s message to Carmelo Anthony this offseason will have a familiar ring to it: Improve your fitness.

Despite being one of the NBA’s elite scorers, Anthony has seen his weight and conditioning get criticized in the past, and Woodson wants his best player to address those issues this summer.

“I’ve got to push him to be in better shape when you start the season,” Woodson said Friday. “Everybody’s got to be in better shape. There’s a lot of things that’s got to be changed, not a lot of things, but there’s got to be some changes for this team to really get to the next level.”

The Knicks trail the Miami Heat 3-0 in their first-round playoff series and have lost an NBA-record 13 straight postseason games. Woodson is not a lock to return as coach, although his 18-6 record to close out the regular season makes him the odds-on favorite to retain the job.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Clippers hope to toughen up vs Grizzlies

Since losing game two Wednesday night, Reggie Evans and the Clippers have watched hours of game film, with their glaring shortcomings staring right at them.

“We got punked around,” Evans said. “It is what it is. They did a good job of being physical. It showed. The tape don’t lie.”

The numbers don’t lie, either.

In game two, Memphis crushed the Clippers on the glass, pulling down 16 offensive rebounds, and the Grizzlies established the physical tone, shooting 21 more free throws.

“They got 16 offensive rebounds so what is that a sign of?” Evans asked. “We got pushed around, punked around – that’s what it’s a sign of. We just have to bounce back. They did what they’re supposed to do and we did what we’re supposed to do. We went there and stole one and they came back and hit us back. “…It’s a mindset. It’s like a little kid getting bullied all the time, eventually the kid’s either going to run or bite back.”

— Reported by Dan Woike of the Orange County Register Blog

Josh Smith sidelined for Game 3 against Celtics

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith will not play in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics because of a sprained left knee.

Smith was hurt in Atlanta’s 87-80 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night and tried to work out before Friday night’s game, but decided he was unable to play.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said Marvin Williams would start in place of Smith, who averaged 19 points and 15 rebounds in the first two games of the series.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Ryan Anderson wins 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player award

Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic is the winner of the 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.

Anderson received 260 of a possible 605 points, including 33 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks (159 points, 21 first-place votes) and Nikola Pekovic of the Minnesota Timberwolves (104 points, 10 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

Anderson established career highs in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg), field goal percentage (.439) and free throw percentage. He also paced the league and established personal bests in three-pointers made (166) and attempted (422). He increased his scoring from the previous season by 5.5 ppg and his rebounds by 2.2 rpg. Orlando averaged 107.5 points per 100 possessions with Anderson on the court, compared to 94.1 points with the 6-10 forward on the bench.

As part of its support of the Most Improved Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV on behalf of Anderson to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2011-12 year-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 21 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began with the 2007-2008 season.

The 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its fifth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Defensive Player, Sixth Man, Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards, and this year for the first time, Rookie of the Year. It also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month which are awarded during the regular season.