NBA News Blog – Page 1429 – NBA Blog

Former Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli dies

Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports:

Franklin Mieuli, the only owner to bring a championship to the Warriors franchise since it moved West, died Sunday of natural causes. He was 89.

Mieuli owned the Warriors for 24 years, selling the franchise in 1985. But Mieuli, with his bushy beard and plaid deerstalker cap, was a regular sight courtside at Warriors games over the years, even the early part of this past season. He had been hospitalized recently, the family told the Warriors.

“Franklin Mieuli was one of the most instrumental figures in my life,” Al Attles, who was coach of Mieuli’s 1975 championship team, said in a news release.

The AP reports:

Mieuli was the principal owner of the Warriors from the time they moved to the Bay Area in 1962 until he sold them in 1986. He won an NBA title with the team in 1975…

Mieuli also once owned a small percentage of the San Francisco Giants and still had a five per cent interest in the 49ers, which he purchased in 1954.

Mieuli, who grew up in San Jose and attended the University of Oregon, was an advertising executive for a San Francisco brewery which, at his instigation, began sponsoring 49ers radio broadcasts.

Game 4: Jazz take 3-1 lead on Nuggets with 117-106 win

The AP reports:

Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and 13 assists, and the Utah Jazz held off a late charge to beat the Denver Nuggets 117-106 on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Carmelo Anthony finished with 39 points and led the Nuggets back within range late in the fourth quarter, but Denver never caught all the way up and lost for the third straight time in the series…

Denver trailed by 18 entering the final period but was able to get within 113-106 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony, but that was as close as it could get.

C.J. Miles scored 21 and Wesley Matthews added 18 points for Utah. The Jazz led by as much as 20 and had the Nuggets off balance until Anthony led a surge early in the fourth.

Game 4: Spurs beat Mavs for 3-1 lead

The AP reports:

Tim Duncan had a miserable 34th birthday and Manu Ginobili looked as bad at times as his bandaged-up nose. But George Hill scored 29 points and San Antonio beat the Mavs 92-89 on Sunday night to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

Popovich called out his supporting cast after losing Game 1. But it was his Big Three who had little bark in Game 4.

InsideHoops.com reports:

It was a sight to see. Hill was awesome. And the energy of DeJuan Blair helped San Antonio a lot.

The Mavericks scored 31 points in the second quarter and 30 in the fourth, but just 17 in the first and 11 in the third.

For the Spurs, Hill scored 17. Ginobili had 17 points (just 4-of-16), four rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Richard Jefferson (6-of-9) had 15. Antonio McDyess and Tony Parker each scored 10. Duncan had just four points and 11 rebounds.

For the Mavs, Caron Butler had 17 but on 18 shots, with six rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki was a mere 4-of-10 for 17 points and 11 rebounds. Shawn Marion had 14 but on 13 shots, and seven rebounds. Jason Terry had 13 on 11 shots.

Game 4: LeBron amazing 37-point triple-double, Cavs beat Bulls

The AP reports:

LeBron James had 37 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds, Antawn Jamison added 24 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-98 Sunday afternoon to go up 3-1 in their first-round series.

The Cavaliers led by 10 at halftime after scoring 38 in the second quarter and broke it open with a 37-point third, putting them in position to close it out at home on Tuesday.

InsideHoops.com reports:

The Cavs shot 53.2%, the Bulls just 37.4%. Cleveland also nailed a fantastic 12-of-25 from three-point range.

For Chicago, Joakim Noah (7-of-12) had 21 points and 20 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. The Bulls had 17 offensive rebounds, the Cavs just five — though Cleveland was hitting their shots, so there were fewer misses for them to collect.

Also for the Bulls, Derrick Rose had 21 points, but on 20 shots, and he didn’t do a lot else. Luol Deng scored 16, but on 17 shots, and also contributed little else.

As expected, the Bulls are in trouble. The Cavs will probably close out the series in Game 5.

Game 4: Wade scores 46, Heat beat Celtics 101-92 and stay alive

Despite a slow start, the Celtics made a comeback and looked to be in good shape until Dwyane Wade decided to go bonkers in the second half, keeping the Heat alive!

The AP reports:

Game 4: Wade scores 46, Heat beat Celtics 101-92 and stay alive

Undeterred by talk that this might have been his final home game in Miami, Dwyane Wade set franchise playoff records by scoring 46 points, 30 in the second half, and the Heat kept their season alive by beating the Celtics 101-92 on Sunday in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Celtics still lead 3-1, and get a second shot at the clincher on Tuesday in Boston.

But Wade gave the Heat hope.

Quentin Richardson scored 20 points and Michael Beasley added 15 for the Heat, who wasted an 18-point first-half lead before digging deep to extend the season.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 23 points. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 16 and Ray Allen added 15 for Boston, which was bidding for its first 4-0 sweep of a series since 1986.

Not so fast.

Wade scored 19 points in the final quarter alone.

Game 4: Thunder pound Lakers 110-89

This was a beating! The Thunder whooped the defending champions in convincing fashion. Could the Lakers actually be in trouble? Maybe this one goes seven games.

The AP reports:

Kevin Durant scored 22 points, Russell Westbrook added 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Thunder evened the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 110-89 victory in Game 4 on Saturday night…

For the second straight game, the Thunder capitalized on a significant edge at the foul line and on the boards despite the presence of the Lakers’ 7-foot tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum…

Bynum had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Gasol also had 13 points to lead Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant had 12 points after spending the entire first quarter deferring to his teammates and the whole fourth quarter on the bench with three other L.A. starters…

Oklahoma City held a 50-43 rebounding edge and shot 20 more free throws—finishing 42 of 48—while leading by as many as 29.

Game 4: Salmons scores 22, Bucks roll over Hawks

Playing without center Andrew Bogut, the Milwaukee Bucks looked to be in trouble, and still are, but they stepped up strong to the plate Saturday and rocked Atlanta.

The AP reports:

Salmons scores 22, Bucks roll over Hawks

John Salmons scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and the Milwaukee Bucks never let up after a hot start in a 107-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

The Bucks shot 68 percent in the first quarter and 51 percent for the game following a three-day layoff and were never seriously threatened after building a 19-point, first-half lead.

Atlanta still leads the series 2-1 after two double-digit victories at home, when the Bucks looked overmatched without the injured Andrew Bogut.

But veteran Kurt Thomas had eight points, 13 rebounds and four stitches, rookie Brandon Jennings added 13 points and Milwaukee proved that the Hawks may have to “Fear the Deer” after all.

Joe Johnson scored 25 for Atlanta. Game 4 is Monday night in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee led by as many as 28 in the fourth as the Hawks shot 39 percent for the game, and only once did Atlanta appear poised to make a run.

Game 4: Roy returns, Blazers down Suns 96-87

Brandon Roy shocked the world, returned much earlier than expected for the Trail Blazers, and helped inspire them to victory!

The AP reports:

Brandon Roy was activated Saturday, then helped Portland to a 96-87 victory that evened the first-round series at two games apiece.

Eight days removed from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Roy made his surprising return to the court to the strains of the theme from “Rocky” blaring from the Rose Garden sound system, then went on hit a key 3-pointer late in the game that shifted the momentum squarely in the Trail Blazers’ favor…

LaMarcus Aldridge, who had been double-teamed all series long without Roy, benefited the most from his return, with 31 points and 11 rebounds…

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 26 points…

The Blazers caught on in Game 4, limiting Richardson to 15 points. Nash also had 15 points and eight assists.

Game 3: Nelson, Magic beat Bobcats 90-86

The Charlotte Bobcats have heart, but they’re in big trouble!

The AP reports:

No Dwight Howard, no problem for the Magic, who got 32 points from sudden star Jameer Nelson to overcome another frustrating, foul-filled game by their big man in a 90-86 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday.

Spoiling Charlotte’s return to the playoff stage after an eight-year absence, the Magic took a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series despite being without Howard for the final 3:32 after he fouled out…

For the third straight game and two days after Orlando was assessed $70,000 in fines for complaining about the officiating, Howard played about half the game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks…

Stephen Jackson scored 19 points, but was 6 of 18 from the field and missed a key 3-pointer in the final minute for the cold-shooting Bobcats, who face the prospect of a first-round sweep in their first playoff appearance…

Gerald Wallace added 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting for Charlotte. Raymond Felton also scored 13, but shot 5 of 14 and again couldn’t contain Nelson.

Manu Ginobili will not play in Worlds this summer

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili made it official on Friday: He will sit out this summer’s FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

The captain of Argentina’s 2004 Olympic championship team said the need to be healthy for Spurs training camp in October, combined with his pending fatherhood, outweighed his loyalty to the national team.

“Everybody knows I love playing for the national team,” he said. “But this year was kind of different. It’s been two years since I can do a good preseason — the one before because of the surgery; the last one because of the (stress) fracture.

“My body kind of needs it, and I want to play the (2012) Olympics, so I decided to pass on this one.

“Besides, there’s another little factor here: My wife is going to have twins in a month. Those are the times you don’t want to miss. Both, one next to the other, makes me take this tough decision.”