NBA News Blog – Page 1266 – NBA Blog

Bobcats forward Dante Cunningham faces drug-possession charge

The AP reports:

Police say Charlotte Bobcats forward Dante Cunningham faces a drug-possession charge after police found a small amount of marijuana in his pickup during a traffic stop in suburban Philadelphia.

Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo says officers responding to a reckless driving complaint on Friday stopped the former Villanova star.

Colarulo says officers smelled marijuana and recovered a suspicious substance after Cunningham consented to a search. That search also turned up a pellet gun in violation of a local ordinance.

Update: The Charlotte Bobcats released the following statement regarding forward Dante Cunningham. “We are aware of the unfortunate incident involving Dante Cunningham in Pennsylvania. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course.”

In case of lockout, Deron Williams looks into playing overseas

The potential lockout coming to the NBA has resulted in plenty of players considering alternatives should the world’s best basketball league take a break for a while so the millionaires and billionaires can figure out how to better divide their money.

It makes sense for players to glance at the idea of playing overseas. Can’t hurt. Any contract that an NBA star signed to play in Europe or elsewhere would surely have an immediate out clause the second the NBA resumed operations.

New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is doing what’s logical. Jared Zwerling of ESPN The Magazine reports:

Although the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement expires in nearly two months — July 1, to be exact — New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is already considering taking his talents abroad.

“I’m already looking into playing overseas,” said Williams, who was in Santa Monica, Calif., Tuesday taking part in an event featuring his favorite video game series, Call of Duty. “I haven’t looked anywhere in general; I’m just looking into the possibility of playing over there. But I’m not going to make a decision until after the CBA.”

Beyond that, D-Will had nothing more to say about the labor negotiations between the NBA owners and players.

“I’m not even going to talk about it,” Williams said. “I’m going to let that work itself out. I think a lot of people open their mouths and shouldn’t be talking about the CBA. Let the people handle it that need to handle it. I don’t know enough about it to be running off at the mouth.”

I still hope this all works out, and soon.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Durant scores 26, Thunder tie series with Grizzlies with 111-102 win

The AP reports:

Zach Randolph’s first shot got swatted by Serge Ibaka. His next two jumpers didn’t find their target. Soon, the Thunder had the lead and never gave it back.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and Oklahoma City clamped down on Randolph and frontcourt partner Marc Gasol to beat the Grizzlies 111-102 Tuesday night to even the Western Conference semifinals…

Randolph and Gasol combined for 54 points in Game 1, but barely managed half of that in the rematch. Randolph made just two of 13 shots and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Gasol was 3 for 9 and had 13 points and 10 boards…

James Harden scored 21 points and fellow reserve Eric Maynor added 15 as Oklahoma City’s bench held a 48-29 scoring edge. All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook scored 24.

Mike Conley scored 24 for Memphis, which got within six in the final minute after trailing 97-76 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter…

The Thunder finally shook free with an 18-6 run by the bench, featuring three 3-pointers by Maynor and seven points from Harden, to start the fourth quarter.

Harden hit three free throws—including one after Darrell Arthur was called for a technical for bumping him in retaliation—then turned a steal into a fast-break layup. Maynor’s third 3 gave Oklahoma City its first 20-point lead at 94-74 with 7:27 remaining, and Daequan Cook followed about a minute later with another 3 to bump the lead to 21.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Thunder bench were the stars of the evening. Harden shot 5-of-9 and 11-of-11 free throws for 21 points and five assists. And guard Eric Maynor shot 6-of-7, including 3-of-4 three-pointers, for 15 points.

LeBron scores 35, Heat beat Celtics 102-91 to take 2-0 series lead

The AP reports:

LeBron James scored 24 of his 35 points in the second half, Dwyane Wade added 28 and the Heat used a late 14-0 run to pull away and beat the aching Celtics 102-91 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday night…

James shot 14 of 25 from the field, and logged 44 minutes with no turnovers. Chris Bosh finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which leads the best-of-seven 2-0…

Rajon Rondo played through a balky back to score 20 points and add 12 assists for Boston, which got 16 points from Kevin Garnett and 13 from Paul Pierce—who retreated to the locker room for treatment on his strained left Achilles’ in the first half. Ray Allen was held to seven points, and left with what he said was a bruised chest cavity courtesy of an elbow from James in the third quarter…

Jeff Green scored 11 and Delonte West added 10 for the Celtics…

James scored 12 points in the third quarter, one more than he managed in the first half, to help Miami take a 72-67 cushion into the final 12 minutes. James then added the first basket of the fourth, but Boston answered with a 13-6 run over the next 4 minutes to knot the game at 80.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Rondo was the only good Celtics starter in this game. He put up 20 points, six rebounds and 12 assists.

Lakers announce 2011-12 preseason schedule

The two-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers have announced the preseason schedule for the 2011-12 season, along with ticket purchase information. The eight-game preseason slate includes games against the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

The back-to-back champions will kick off the 2011 preseason on October 9 when they take on the Warriors at the Save Mart Center in Fresno. The Lakers will then return to Southern California where they will play back-to-back sets of games against the Hawks and Jazz before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada to face the Kings on October 21 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

The Lakers will conclude the 2011 preseason with games against the Clippers on October 25 in San Diego and October 27 in Bakersfield, CA.

Below is the complete 2011 Los Angeles Lakers preseason schedule:

DATE – OPPONENT – LOCATION – TIME (PT)

Oct. 9 Golden State Warriors Fresno (Save Mart Center) 7:00 pm

Oct. 12 Atlanta Hawks Ontario (Citizens Bank Arena) 7:00 pm

Oct. 15 Atlanta Hawks STAPLES Center 7:00 pm

Oct. 16 Utah Jazz STAPLES Center 7:00 pm InsideHoops.com

Oct. 19 Utah Jazz Anaheim (Honda Center) 7:00 pm

Oct. 21 Sacramento Kings Las Vegas, NV (Thomas and Mack Center) 7:00 pm

Oct. 25 Los Angeles Clippers San Diego, CA (Valley View Casino Center) 7:00 pm

Oct. 27 Los Angeles Clippers Bakersfield, CA (Rabobank Arena) 7:00 pm

Chris Bosh sues ex-girlfriend over Basketball Wives reality show

The VH1 reality show Basketball Wives mostly features ex-wives and ex-girlfriends, but it’s as close as TV gets to showcasing some of the women that have managed to link up with former or current NBA players.

There’s lots of broken relationships, though, and the next season of the show involves yet another one. The AP reports the following:

Chris Bosh sues ex-girlfriend over Basketball Wives reality show

Miami Heat star Chris Bosh is suing the mother of his child for appearing on a reality TV show called “Basketball Wives,” which he said intrudes on his private life.

Bosh claims in a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court that Allison Mathis and Shed Media are trying to unjustly enrich themselves by using Bosh’s name and intruding into his private affairs.

He acknowledges he and Mathis have a child together.

The suit says Mathis was hired to appear in the third season of the VH1 reality show and wants to use it to become a TV star. Bosh seeks damages and an injunction to block her and the media company from trademark infringement by using his name and disclosing private facts about his life.

The show is a guilty pleasure that some basketball fans definitely are watching.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Derrick Rose wins 2010-11 NBA MVP

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA announced today. Rose, who does not turn 23 until Oct. 4, becomes the league’s youngest MVP, a distinction previously held by Wes Unseld, who earned the honor in 1968-69 as a 23-year-old.

Rose totaled 1,182 points including 113 first-place votes, from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA MVP fan vote. For the second consecutive season, the NBA gave fans the opportunity to submit their votes by ranking their top five choices through a dedicated Web page on NBA.com. The fan vote counted as one vote and was compiled with the 120 media votes to determine the winner. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting are Orlando’s Dwight Howard (643 points, three first place), Miami’s LeBron James (522, four first-place votes), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (428, one first-place vote) and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (190).

Rose, who became the first player since Steve Nash in 2005 to win the MVP award after not receiving any votes in the previous year’s balloting, led the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 mark. The third-year player averaged team highs of 25.0 points and 7.7 assists to go along with 4.1 rebounds. He became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The All-Star guard made or assisted on at least half of the Bulls’ field goals in 26 games, the highest such total for any NBA player this season.

Rose, who recorded 23 double-doubles and scored at least 30 points on 23 occasions after doing so eight times combined in his first two seasons, was the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in scoring (seventh) and assists (10th). Only once in team history had a Bulls player finished in the top 10 in scoring and assists (Michael Jordan, 1988-89). Rose tallied 2,026 points, 623 assists and 330 rebounds, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to post 2,000 points, 600 assists and 300 rebounds in a single season as he joined Robertson, John Havlicek, Jordan and James.

The NBA MVP trophy is named in honor of the late Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Dirk scores 28, Mavericks rally to stun Lakers 96-94 in Game 1

The AP reports:

Dirk scores 28, Mavs rally to stun Lakers in Game 1

Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and hit two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left before Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant made a crucial turnover, and the Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 96-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

Nowitzki had 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, who dramatically came back from a 16-point deficit in the second half of the perennial playoff teams’ first postseason meeting in 23 years.

Bryant scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half for the Lakers, but he fell down while trying to get the ball from Gasol with 5 seconds to play. After one free throw by Jason Kidd, Bryant missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer…

Gasol had 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the second-seeded Lakers, who lost their second straight series opener. Their loss to New Orleans two weeks ago was much more surprising than this loss to the playoff-tested Mavs, but the Lakers’ lack of poise down the stretch should be scary to anybody anticipating a threepeat…

Lamar Odom scored 15 points for Los Angeles, which nursed a small lead throughout the second half until Nowitzki scored in the lane with 40 seconds left to trim the deficit to 94-93. After Jason Terry swiped the ball from Bryant, Gasol fouled Nowitzki on the Mavericks’ inbounds play, allowing the 7-footer to give Dallas its first lead since the second quarter.

InsideHoops.com notes:

The Mavs bench was HOT. Jason Terry shot 6-of-10 for 15 points. Peja Stojakovic was 4-of-8 for 10 points. Jose Juan Barea shot 3-of-6 for eight points. Corey Brewer shot 2-of-4 for five points. And Brendan Haywood hit his only shot attempt for two points. Overall, the Dallas bench hit 16-of-29.

Tyson Chandler, the anchor of the Mavericks defense, was solid with 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

As for the Lakers, Bryant scored 36, but did it on 29 shots and only got to the free throw line five times, making four attempts. Pau Gasol only scored 15, but his 11 rebounds and seven rebounds were respectable. Odom off the bench had 15 points and 12 rebounds. But Ron Artest in 31 minutes tossed up bricks, shooting 1-of-8 for two points and more turnovers than assists.

Joe Johnson scores 34, Hawks beat Bulls 103-95 in Game 1

The AP reports:

Joe Johnson scored 34 points and Atlanta beat top-seeded Chicago 103-95 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

As if the loss itself wasn’t bad enough, the Bulls got a scare when Derrick Rose came up limping after he turned his left ankle at the end of the game. Their MVP—yes, MVP—stepped on Jamal Crawford’s foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer…

The Hawks went on a 15-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to turn a 69-65 deficit into an 80-71 lead with 10:27 remaining.

Johnson scored eight points during that stretch, and the Hawks hung on.

Johnson was brilliant, hitting 12 of 18 shots and all five 3-point attempts. Crawford scored 22 points, and Jeff Teague added 10 while starting at the point for the injured Kirk Hinrich and wound up getting the game ball from coach Larry Drew…

Rose twisted the same ankle in the opening round against Indiana, but even before he limped off the court, this certainly wasn’t his best night.

He scored 24 points, but he was just 11 of 27 from the field and did not attempt a free throw.

Luol Deng scored 21 points for Chicago while Carlos Boozer added 14 points and eight rebounds despite a turf toe injury on his right foot. But it was a rough night overall for the Bulls—particularly on defense.

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

NBA mandates metal detectors for playoffs

ESPN Chicago reports:

In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Chicago Bulls will use metal detectors to screen all patrons entering the United Center before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The NBA issued the mandate for the conference semifinals and all subsequent playoff games.

Not all arenas in the league regularly use metal detectors. At the United Center, patrons are visually inspected. Metal detectors are only employed in a full inspection when, according to the venue’s website, it is determined that “the potential is high for inappropriate or illegal items to be brought into the building.”