Inside Hoops – Page 2083 – NBA Blog

Game 4: Rondo unleashes monster triple-double, Celtics beat Cavaliers

The AP reports:

The Boston point guard [Rajon Rondo] had 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-87 on Sunday to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece…

Rondo became the third player in playoff history to have at least 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Oscar Robertson had 32 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists in 1963, and Wilt Chamberlain had 29 points, 36 rebounds and 13 assists in 1967.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett scored 18 apiece for the Celtics, who rebounded from the worst home playoff loss in franchise history and ensured they’ll get at least one more game at home…

LeBron James scored 22 points—only one more than he had in the first quarter of Game 3—and seemed frustrated during a seven-turnover performance. Shaquille O’Neal added 17 points, his high for this postseason, but was on the bench when the Celtics blew by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter.

InsideHoops.com notes:

Tony Allen had a monster game for Boston off the bench, shooting 6-of-7 for 15 points and five rebounds in almost 26 minutes.

Paul Pierce continued his struggles in this series, shooting 3-of-8 for nine points and little else. He’s looked lost.

Both teams were miserable from three-point range: Cavs 4-of-21, Celtics 1-of-14.

Delonte West came off the Cavs bench to shoot 0-of-7 for three points in 20 minutes.

While Rondo was a hero for Boston, Cleveland’s point guard, Mo Williams, shot 3-of-9 for 13 points and not too much else.

Live fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

76ers interview Sam Mitchell

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Sam Mitchell in Dallas, TX today regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Mitchell was Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“Sam has been a successful head coach in the league, having been named Coach of the Year in 2007, and we were very interested in speaking with him,” Stefanski said. “It was good to sit down with him to exchange ideas about our team and this opportunity.”

76ers interview Bill Laimbeer

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Bill Laimbeer in Dallas, TX today regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Laimbeer was Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“We want to speak to as many qualified candidates as possible and certainly Bill Laimbeer’s credentials as a player and success as a coach – including three championships in six seasons in the WNBA – speaks for iteslf,” Stefanski said. “We want to thank Bill for meeting with us.”

Mike Beasley vows to find himself

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:

The all-points bulletin essentially has been issued for Michael Beasley. The GPS device was set to take him back to the last place he knew anything about dominance.

Before moving forward to the next phase of his offseason, Beasley returned last week to Kansas State.

It’s a place where almost everything about basketball came easy to Beasley. But since he left, the Heat’s lightning-rod forward has been struck by frustrating inconsistencies while tightroping a line between hope and hopelessness in two NBA seasons.

“I need to get back to being me,” Beasley said of his quest to reconnect with “that beast in college” who averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds and expected to take the NBA by storm. “I haven’t shown nothing yet. When I find him, that Mike Beasley, you’ll know. The one you saw these two years, I don’t like him much.”

Kirilenko returns for Jazz

Michael Black of the Deseret News reports:

It didn’t take long Saturday night for Andrei Kirilenko to make his long-awaited return to the lineup during Game 3 of the Jazz’s playoff series against the Lakers.

With 6:54 left in the first quarter, Kirilenko checked into the game to a rousing standing ovation from the EnergySolutions Arena crowd. It was the first time back on the court for him in nearly two months due to a strained left calf muscle that was injured in three separate places. He had missed 23 of Utah’s last 25 games, but by the crowd’s response, absence only made the heart grow fonder.

“I have a long, long relationship with our fans. We have always been very close,” Kirilenko said. “I missed those two months, so I was pretty happy to just be back and start playing again.”

Tim Duncan shooting bricks from foul line

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Down 3-0 to the Suns in their Western Conference semifinals series after a horrid showing at the line contributed heavily to Friday’s Game 3 loss at AT&T Center, the Spurs no longer are laughing about missed foul shots.

Tim Duncan shooting bricks from foul line

Tim Duncan missed 7 of 12 free throws in Friday’s loss. He is 13 for 27 from the line in the series, the primary offender on a team that has made only 65.4 percent of its 81 foul shots in the series.

After making 271 of 374 free throws during the regular season, a respectable 72.5 percent, Duncan has made only 30 of 62 foul shots in nine playoff games, a 48 percent figure that is embarrassing to him.

Ronny Turiaf receiving Gonzaga degree

The AP reports:

A very familiar graduate will walk across the stage at Gonzaga University’s commencement on Sunday. Ronny Turiaf will receive his degree in sports management, four years after leaving Gonzaga as one of the best players in its history.

Turiaf, who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, is one of 48 Gonzaga athletes who will receive diplomas.

Game 3: Kobe scores 35, Lakers edge Jazz 111-110

The AP reports:

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher hit back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-2 run in the final minute and the Lakers held on for a 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night that put Los Angeles on the verge of sweeping the Western Conference playoff series.

The Jazz had two chances to win it in the final 4 seconds, but Deron Williams missed from the top of the key and Wesley Matthews’ tip just before the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Bryant finished with 35 points and Fisher scored 20 for the Lakers, who can close out the four-game sweep with a win Monday night in Game 4. Pau Gasol added 14 points and 17 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Williams scored 28 and Kyle Korver added a career playoff-high 23 points for the Jazz.

Ron Artest scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half for the Lakers, who never led by more than four but stayed close enough to win it in a thrilling final minute.

InsideHoops.com notes:

Artest finally remembered how to make three-pointers, hitting 4-for-7. Also, Bryant and Fisher each hit 3-of-7 from outside the arc.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum did almost nothing in 20 minutes of play, with no points and four rebounds.

The Lakers bench was lousy, with Lamar Odom shooting 2-of-6, Jordan Farmar 2-of-6, and Shannon Brown 4-of-12. Odom did grab eight rebounds.

For the Jazz, Wes Matthews hit just 2-of-11 shots, for nine points.

Offensively, the Jazz bench was terrific. Kyle Korver hit 9-of-10 shots, including 5-of-5 threes for 23 points in just under 24 minutes. Paul Millsap hit 3-of-6. In his return to action, Andrei Kirilenko hit 4-of-7 for eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.

Both teams had similar shooting, rebounding and assists stats. But the Jazz had 31 free throw attempts, hitting 26, while the Lakers had just 19 free throws, making 16.

Live fan discussion of the game was in this forum topic.

Game 3: Magic destroy Hawks 105-75

The AP reports:

Rashard Lewis scored 22 points and the backups helped Orlando pull away early with Howard on the bench as the Magic romped to another playoff blowout, moving to the brink of their second straight sweep with a 105-75 victory over the Hawks on Saturday.

Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds but was hardly dominating. No problem for the Magic, who have so many complements to Superman and allowed many of them to shine in Orlando’s seventh straight postseason victory and 13th straight win overall.

Lewis knocked down four 3-pointers. Jameer Nelson scored 14 points. Mickael Pietrus chipped in with 13, hitting three shots from outside the arc. Marcin Gortat, Howard’s backup, grabbed six rebounds in less than 10 minutes. All 10 Orlando players who got on the court made it to the scoresheet…

The Hawks shot only 35 percent (29 of 83), and their best player was the biggest culprit. Joe Johnson made only 3 of 15 attempts to finish with eight points. Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 22 points.

Fans discussed the game live as it happened in this forum topic.

Paul Pierce off his game against Cavs

Mark Blaudshun of the Boston Globe reports:

Has anyone seen Paul Pierce lately? After three solid games in the Celtics’ first-round ouster of the Heat, Pierce has been missing in action in the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cavaliers.

In Game 1 — a 101-93 Cleveland victory, Pierce made just 5 of 17 shots for 13 points and was not a factor. The Celtics bounced back to win Game 2 Monday night, but it was another indifferent showing for Pierce — 4 for 10, 14 points.

Both performances were below the standard the veteran forward had established — 22.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 77 career playoff games.

Last night was the worst effort of the three games against the Cavaliers — a 124-95 blowout loss at TD Garden — as Pierce made only 4 of 15 shots, finished with 11 points and, even worse from his standpoint, was part of a Celtic defense that was a no-show almost from the opening tipoff.