NBA News Blog – Page 1269 – NBA Blog

Joe Johnson leads Hawks past Magic, into 2nd round

The AP reports:

A new season. A much different result. The Atlanta Hawks are moving on in the playoffs, knocking out the team that beat them so badly a year ago.

Joe Johnson leads Hawks past Magic, into 2nd round

Joe Johnson scored 23 points and came up with a huge offensive rebound, leading Atlanta past Orlando 84-81 in Game 6 Thursday night to finish off the Magic in the opening round.

The Hawks, who won the series 4-2, advanced to the second round for the third straight year, this time against the top-seeded Bulls. Game 1 is Monday night in Chicago…

The Magic had two chances to force overtime. J.J. Redick missed an open 3, then Jason Richardson had a desperation shot from the corner blocked by Smith.

Turkoglu had 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Nelson was the only other Orlando player in double figures with 11.

Crawford scored 19 points, including consecutive 3s that gave Atlanta its biggest lead, 71-59, with just over 9 minutes left. The Magic fought back with an 8-0 spurt, and Ryan Anderson had a chance to give the Magic their first lead since the opening minutes with an open look from outside the stripe…

The Hawks were up 42-36 at halftime, but the lead should have been a lot bigger. Smith was 3 of 12 shooting with three turnovers. Crawford hit only 3 of 11, Johnson just 4 of 12. The home finished just 39 percent from the field (31 of 79).

Mario Elie interviews for Rockets head coaching job

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:

Though in many ways Mario Elie never left Houston, he met with the Rockets’ front office on Wednesday determined to “come home.”

Elie, who has kept his home in Houston since his days with the franchise’s Clutch City-era teams, interviewed for the Rockets’ vacant head coaching position on Wednesday, saying he is ready to recapture the successes from his playing days here.

“I’m very excited,” Elie said. “I like their commitment to winning and bringing back the success of the championship years.

“We knocked it around for quite a bit, about three to four hours. Those guys are very sharp. They know what they want. I had a good time with these gentlemen.”

Elie, who played five seasons with the Rockets before finishing his career in San Antonio and Phoenix, has been an assistant with the Spurs, Warriors and Kings.

Hornets coach Monty Williams wanted Lakers G Shannon Brown suspended

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports:

Hornets coach Monty Williams thinks the NBA should’ve suspended Lakers guard Shannon Brown for Game 6 of their series Thursday night.

Brown swung his elbow at Hornets guard Willie Green in Game 5, and although there was no contact, referee Derrick Stafford spotted it from crosscourt and whistled a foul on Brown.

“Shannon should’ve been ejected, and if he’s not going to be ejected, he shouldn’t be able to play tonight,” Williams said Thursday, according to the team’s website. “When you throw your elbow like that at a guy — I know the rule is you have to connect — but if he connects, (the result is) a fight. It could turn into more stuff.”

Williams also accused Brown of throwing another elbow at New Orleans’ Jarrett Jack at another time in the game and has been in contact with the NBA in search of discipline for Brown, whose value is increased currently because of Kobe Bryant’s sprained left ankle.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel wants interim tag removed

The AP reports:

Displaying the positive attitude that energized the Indiana players and fans, interim coach Frank Vogel explained why he believes he should be the next head coach.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien at midseason, went 20-18 and led the team to its first playoff berth since 2006. The Pacers were competitive in losing their first-round series to the Chicago Bulls.

“One thing I learned the last three months is that I can do this,” he said. “I’m confident in my leadership abilities, my management abilities, my coaching abilities. It’s been an honor to coach the last few months, it would be an honor to coach in the future.”

Team president Larry Bird was impressed with Vogel’s performance. He said the 37-year-old would get the first interview for the head coaching position.

“I think Frank did an excellent job, stepping in without the experience of a head coaching job,” Bird said. “The way he conducted himself, he brought positive energy to this team. We won more games than we lost. We did it with a young team, a team that’s trying to grow.”

Durant scores 41, Thunder close out Nuggets 100-97

The AP reports:

Kevin Durant matched his best playoff performance with 41 points, including the final nine for Oklahoma City, and the Thunder closed out their first-round series against the Nuggets with a 100-97 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Thunder overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 4 minutes, and Durant provided all the offense down the stretch to send the Oklahoma City franchise to its first playoff series win since it was still in Seattle in 2005…

Denver had two chances to duplicate the Spurs’ performance, but Durant blocked J.R. Smith’s potential tying 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and Arron Afflalo missed another 3 at the buzzer.

Afflalo, who missed the first two games of the series with a hamstring strain, led Denver with 15 points and Kenyon Martin added 14 points and 10 rebounds…

Westbrook had 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting, one game after he’d drawn criticism for attempting 30 shots.

Despite dreadful 37 percent shooting, Oklahoma City stuck with the Nuggets with a sizable edge in free-throw opportunities and offensive rebounds.

The Thunder made 34 of 42 foul shots—doubling the number of attempts Denver got—and also had 22 second-chance points off 16 offensive boards.

Spurs survive Game 5 OT thriller vs Grizzlies

The AP reports:

Catching the inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left, Gary Neal forced overtime with a spectacular 3-pointer in the face of O.J. Mayo as time expired, and the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs staved off elimination by stunning the Memphis Grizzlies 110-103 on Wednesday night…

The straightaway 3-pointer was the second of two remarkable San Antonio baskets in the final 2.2 seconds of regulation. Manu Ginobili, who scored 33 points, hit the other with a long corner jumper while falling out of bounds in front of the Spurs bench, in what was originally ruled a 3.

Spurs survive Game 5 OT thriller vs Grizzlies

A video replay confirmed Ginobili’s left toe was on the line. That left the Spurs still trailing 95-94, and after two free throws by Randolph, San Antonio needed another miracle…

Zach Randolph led Memphis with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but the Spurs assured a Game 6 in the overtime behind Parker, who scored 6 of his 24 in the extra period…

Marc Gasol had 11 points and 17 rebounds for Memphis, while Mike Conley scored 20 points and Sam Young added 18.

Duncan began the game in vintage playoff form, looking keenly aware of the stakes. He scored 11 points in the first 9 1/2 minutes, but scored just two the rest of the way. He had 12 rebounds.

Wade scores 26, Heat advance past Sixers 97-91

The AP reports:

Wade scores 26, Heat advance past Philly 97-91

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by topping Philadelphia 97-91 on Wednesday night and ousting the 76ers in five games, four of them of the grueling variety, perhaps none more nailbiting than the finale…

Mario Chalmers scored 20 points off the bench and James finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Miami. Joel Anthony—who played 39 minutes without a single field-goal attempt—made a pair of critical free throws with 16.8 seconds left for the Heat…

Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand each scored 22 points for Philadelphia, which got 13 from Thaddeus Young, 12 from Jodie Meeks and 10 from Jrue Holiday…

Mike Bibby and Zydrunas Ilgauskas only played 4:27 apiece, benched the rest of the way after another slow start, and Chalmers and Anthony started the second half…

The Sixers made nine of their first 11 shots, running out to leads of 16-5 and 20-10—before, as was the case throughout the series, the first substitutions for Miami started paying dividends.

Knicks exercise option to keep Chauncey Billups for 2011-12 season

The New York Knicks have a pair of star forwards in Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, and today made a decision to keep one of the roster’s only other proven assets on board for next season.

“We have made a decision to keep Chauncey Billups for the upcoming 2011-12 season,” said Knicks team president Donnie Walsh in a statement. “Chauncey, Amar’e and Carmelo are a great nucleus, as we continue to look to improve our team going into the off-season. Chauncey is an extremely talented and experienced point guard – we are very happy to have him back.”

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Knicks have decided to pick up the one-year, $14.2 million option on Chauncey Billups’ contract.

As the most talented guard on the Knicks roster, Billups is past his prime, but provides leadership, competitiveness, scoring and experience.

In the future, the team is expected to eventually target young star point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

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

Warriors will not keep Keith Smart as their head coach

The Golden State Warriors have informed Head Coach Keith Smart that he will not be retained for the 2011-12 season, the team announced today. Smart, who was named head coach of the Warriors on September 27, 2010, led Golden State to a 36-46 record during the recently-completed 2010-11 NBA season.

“It’s never easy to make difficult decisions, especially when it involves someone that we have a great deal of respect for like Keith Smart,” said Warriors Owner Joe Lacob. “After meeting extensively with Larry Riley and Bob Myers, we came to the conclusion that a change was necessary at this particular time. I think Keith did an admirable job this season and he should be commended for many of the positive things that transpired both on and off the floor. The team showed improvement and their effort was never in question. However, we’ve elected to pursue a new path and we wish Keith the very best. He’s a quality person and we thank him for the time he invested with our organization.”

Smart, 46, originally began his tour of duty with the Warriors as an assistant coach during the 2003-04 season. He spent seven seasons in that capacity before being elevated to head coach – the 23rd in franchise history – prior to the start of last season. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Smart also served as interim head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the final 40 games of the 2002-03 season.

“I obviously have a great deal of admiration for Keith as both a professional and a friend,” said Warriors Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations/GM Larry Riley. “He’s dedicated a lot of time, hard work and commitment to this job, not only over the course of the last year as the head coach, but the previous seven years with our organization. We’re grateful for his contributions and have the utmost respect for him. From our standpoint, however, we feel it is in our best interest as we move as an organization and begin to focus and prepare for the future. At this time, we do not have a timetable for hiring a successor. We’ll conduct our due diligence and make a good, sound decision when we’ve identified that individual.”

Knicks may seek to bring Wilson Chandler back this summer

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

The Knicks would have to get lucky, but one of their targets this summer is to bring Wilson Chandler back into the fold, The Post has learned.

Chandler, who was dispatched to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade, will be a restricted free agent, and a source said he would love to return to the Knicks. And the Knicks would love to have him back, as coach Mike D’Antoni believes he’s the perfect versatile fit for his system who does so many things, including rebound. Chandler’s Nuggets trail Oklahoma City 3-1 in the first round.

Chandler’s new agent is Happy Walters, who also represents Amar’e Stoudemire and Knicks surprise reserve standout Shawne Williams, also a free agent whom the Knicks would like to bring back.