NBA News Blog – Page 1550 – NBA Blog

Magic beat Celtics 83-75 to force Game 7

Behind 23 points and 22 rebounds from center Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic beat the Celtics in Boston 83-75 to win Game 6 of their second round NBA playoffs matchups. The series-deciding Game 7 will be Sunday in Boston.

Orlando shot just 36.6% and only hit 6-of-23 (23.1%) three-pointers. They struggled at the free throw line as well, hitting just 17-of-31. But the Celtics struggled as well, shooting 41.6%, a disgustingly awful 3-of-18 (167%) from three-point range, and they only managed 13 free throw attempts, hitting just 8.

The Celtics also grabbed five more rebounds than the Magic, and dished five more assists.

But Boston turned the ball over 19 times, while the Magic only had 9 turnovers.

For the Magic, Howard also blocked 3 shots. Rashard Lewis (7-of-18) scored 20. Hedo Turkoglo struggled all game, shooting 3-of-13, but hit a big three-pointer in the closing minutes. Rafer Alston scored 11, only had 3 assists, but added 3 blocks and 2 steals. Mickael Pietrus added 11 points and 2 steals off the bench.

Howard did his usual and struggled from the free throw line, connecting on 5-of-12.

J.J. Redick, starting at shooting guard for the Magic, was 0-of-7.

For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo (8-of-19) carried the load in every way imaginable, with 19 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists (but 5 turnovers) and 4 steals. Paul Pierce (6-of-14) had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. And center Kendrick Perkins (7-of-11) stepped up on the offensive side of the floor with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks, though he had 1 assist and 5 turnovers.

The problem for Boston was, no one else did anything. Ray Allen was an awful 2-of-11 and missed all 7 of his three-point attempts. He did grab 7 rebounds, but had 4 turnovers with 1 assist. Glen Davis was pretty invisible and had 6 points and little else in 25 minutes. Brian Scalabrine came off the bench and received 33 minutes, contributing little more than 7 points and a few rebounds. Eddie House, who woudl have helped the team’s three-point shooting, received just 15 minutes and scored 6.

The game was fairly close from start to finish. It was a three-point Boston lead after one quarter, and a one-point Boston lead at halftime. Both teams scored just 16 points each in a quiet third-quarter. But while Orlando scored 22 in the fourth, Boston totally fell apart and managed just 13.

Darius Miles charged with pot possession

The AP reports: Memphis Grizzlies forward Darius Miles, who was suspended last season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, was free on bond Thursday after being charged with possession of marijuana. The 27-year-old Miles was alone in his car Wednesday night in suburban Fairview Heights, Ill., when an officer pulled him over for allegedly failing to use a turn signal, police Sgt. Steve Evans said. During a search of the car, Evans said police found a small amount of marijuana in a plastic bag in the passenger compartment. Miles was ticketed for driving with a suspended license and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession because the amount of the drug was less than 2.5 grams, which would have been a felony. He was later freed on $100 bond.

Sports betting becoming legal in Delaware

The AP reports: The state Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would authorize Delaware to become the only state east of the Mississippi River to offer sports betting, sending it to Gov. Jack Markell for his promised signature. The Senate passed the bill 17-2 without a committee hearing, suspending its rules before voting. The decision came on the first day back in session after hours of closed-door negotiations. “I’m pleased they acted so quickly,” said Markell, who fought to resurrect the bill after an initial House defeat last Tuesday. Markell and other administration officials negotiated for hours last Thursday with House Republican leaders who had led early opposition to the measure and were finally able to reach a compromise. Because of a brief unsuccessful experiment with a sports lottery in the 1970s, Delaware is one of only four states, along with Nevada, Montana and Oregon, exempted from a 1992 federal law banning sports gambling. As the only state east of the Mississippi River that can offer sports betting, Delaware has a distinct edge against slot machine competition in neighboring states.

Sacramento Kings lay off dozen staffers

The Sacramento Bee (Melody Gutierrez ) reports: Jim Kozimor, with his energetic personality and warm smile, was one of the Kings’ most recognizable faces. Now he’s a personification of the Maloof family’s financial troubles. The TV and radio broadcaster was one of about a dozen Maloof Sports and Entertainment staffers laid off Tuesday as the Kings grapple with the weak economy and a disappointing NBA season that led to poor attendance at Arco Arena. Adding to the Maloof money woes, the family is heavily invested in areas now taking hits from the recession. Las Vegas, where the Maloofs own the Palms Casino Resort, has been hurt by declines in gambling and tourism revenues.

Nuggets eliminate Mavericks in five games

Wednesday night in Denver the Nuggets, behind 30 points from Carmelo Anthony and 28 from Chauncey Billups, beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-110 to win their second round playoff series 4 games to 1.

The Nuggets advance to the Western confernce finals, where they will face the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets

Denver was unguardable tonight, shooting 58.5% from the field and nailing 11-of-26 three-pointers.

Melo (13-of-22, 4-of-7 three-pointers) had 30 points and five rebounds. And Billups (10-of-16, 3-of-6 threes) was everywhere, contributing 28 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists (just 2 turnovers).

Also for the Nuggets, J.R. Smith (5-of-13) had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench. Starting center Nene shot 8-of-10 for 17 points and 7 rebounds. Kenyon Martin added 14 with 4 assists.

For the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki (9-of-17, 12-of-12 free throws) scored 32, with 10 rebounds and 7 assists (but 5 turnovers). Jason Kidd (6-of-10, 5-of-9 threes) had 19 points and 9 assists (but 5 turnovers). Brandon Bass (5-of-9) was terrific off the bench with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Josh Howard, playing hurt, had 14 points and little else. Jason Terry (just 4-of-13) started at shooting guard and scored 11.

Denver lead 34-27 after one quarter and 69-55 at the half. The two teams both scored the same amount of points in the third and fourth quarters.

Official 2009 All-NBA Teams

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2008-09 Most Valuable Player, was a unanimous selection to the 2008-09 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining James on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

James, who earns First Team honors for the second straight season, ranked second in the NBA in scoring (28.4 ppg), eighth in steals (1.69 spg) and 10th in assists (7.2 apg) to go along with averages of 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. James guided the Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66-16 record overall and a 39-2 mark at home, both tops in the league. James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month four times (November, January, March, April), tying Kevin Garnett (2003-04) as the only players to receive the award four times in one season since the NBA began voting for Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month separately.

Bryant, the 2007-08 Most Valuable Player, finished third in the league in scoring (26.8 ppg), while averaging 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 65-17 record. Bryant earns his fourth straight First Team selection and seventh overall. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) and Shaquille O’Neal (eight) have more First Team selections.

Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the second consecutive season, led the NBA in rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocks (2.9 bpg), becoming only the fourth player to pace the league in both categories since 1973-74, the first season where blocks were kept as an official statistic. Howard led the Magic in scoring (20.6 ppg), while shooting .572 from the field. His 63 double-doubles ranked second in the league (David Lee, New York, 65).

Earning his fourth First Team selection, Nowitzki was the league’s fourth-leading scorer (25.9 ppg), while also averaging 8.4 rebounds. His .890 free throw percentage ranked seventh overall. Nowitzki finished the season by scoring at least 20 points in 25 straight games, the longest such streak in the NBA this season.

Wade earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after ranking first in scoring (30.2 ppg), second in steals (1.7 spg) and eighth in assists (6.7 apg). He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Wade became only the fifth player in league history to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a single season, as well as the only player under 6-foot, 4-inches to register 100 blocks since they became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Portland’s Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Boston’s Paul Pierce at forward, and Houston’s Yao Ming at center.

The All-NBA Third Team includes Denver’s Chauncey Billups and San Antonio’s Tony Parker at guard, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol at forward, and Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal at center.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (first team votes in parentheses): Deron Williams, Utah, 105; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 72; Chris Bosh, Toronto, 56; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 36, Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 34; Danny Granger, Indiana, 25; David West, New Orleans, 12; Mo Williams, Cleveland, 10; Al Jefferson, Minnesota, 8; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 7; Antawn Jamison, Washington, 7; Ray Allen, Boston, 6; Nene, Denver, 6; Devin Harris, New Jersey, 5; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 4; David Lee, New York, 4; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 2; Vince Carter, New Jersey, 1; Paul Millsap, Utah, 1; O.J. Mayo, Memphis, 1; Mehmet Okur, Utah, 1; Jermaine O’Neal, Miami, 1; Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando, 1; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 1; Caron Butler, Washington, 1; Carlos Boozer, Utah, 1; Andre Miller, Philadelphia, 1; Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia, 1.

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NCAAP to honor Clippers owner Donald Sterling

The Los Angeles Times (Jerry Crowe) reports: Clippers owner Donald Sterling, accused of racism and embracing a “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” in a lawsuit filed in February by Elgin Baylor, will be given a lifetime achievement award next week by the NAACP. . . . Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles branch of the civil rights organization, says of the much-maligned Sterling, “He has a unique history of giving to the children of L.A.,” revealing that the owner donates anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 tickets a game to youth groups for nearly every Clippers home game. . . . Noting that the NAACP had made plans to honor Sterling before Baylor filed suit, Jenkins says, “We can’t speak to the allegations, but what we do know is that for the most part [Sterling] has been very, very kind to the minority youth community.” . . . Baylor didn’t mention that.

Chris Andersen OK for Game 5

The Denver Post reports: Forward Chris Andersen has had perhaps the best season of his career, but in this series he may have moved to the category of “indispensable.” He is the Nuggets’ most effective defender against Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, and never was that more apparent than Monday night. Andersen missed the game with a bout of food poisoning and Nowitzki went berserk, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter and 44 points total in Dallas’ 119-117 victory. Asked if he would be ready for tonight, Andersen said, “I’m going to have a really large storage of energy.”

Danny Granger wins Most Improved Player

danny granger wins nba most improved player award

Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers is the winner of the 2008-09 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.

Granger received 364 of a possible 605 points, including 48 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris finished second with 339 points (43 first-place votes), followed by Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder with 83 points (six first-place votes). 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.

In his fourth year, Granger was the league’s fifth leading scorer, averaging a career-high 25.8 points – 6.2 points higher than 2007-08 (19.6 ppg) and 9.4 points above his career average (16.4 ppg) – and becoming the first player in NBA history to raise his scoring average by at least five points in three consecutive seasons. Granger also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The 6-9 forward led the Pacers in scoring in 49 of the 67 games he played, including 13 of their final 14 games. In his last 14 games, Granger shot 43-of-96 (.448) from three-point range and his 182 three-pointers made this season rank third all time in Pacer’s history.

Warriors name Larry Riley GM; Chris Mullin gone

The Golden State Warriors announced today that the club has elected not to renew the contract of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin. In a related move, the team has named Larry Riley as the club’s new General Manager.

“It’s never an easy decision to make a change,” said Warriors’ President Robert Rowell. “This case is compounded by the fact it involves Chris Mullin — someone who has provided Bay Area fans with many great memories over the years, as both a player and executive. He’s a class individual who will always be remembered for his accomplishments with the Warriors organization.”

Mullin, 45, was named Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations on April 22, 2004, and his current contract is set to expire on June 30. He has spent the last five years in that position after spending two years as a Special Assistant with the club. Prior to his front office tenure, Mullin spent 13 years of his 16-year NBA career with the Warriors, highlighted by five NBA All-Star Game appearances. He retired following the 2000-01 season.

Riley, 64, has spent the last six-plus months as Assistant General Manager with the Warriors after being elevated to that position on November 7, 2008. He originally joined the Warriors as an assistant coach prior to the 2006-07 campaign and spent his first two-plus seasons with Golden State in that capacity.

Riley has accumulated 20-plus years of NBA experience in various capacities prior to being named GM of the Warriors, including a six-year stint as Director of Player Personnel for the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies from 1994-95 to 1999-00. The Indiana native also spent six seasons as an assistant coach/scout with the Milwaukee Bucks (1988-89 to 1993-94) and six years with the Dallas Mavericks in the same capacity (2000-01 to 2005-06).

“We think Larry Riley possesses many characteristics that will allow him to be successful as the General Manager of our team,” said Rowell. “One of his primary strengths is his ability to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal, which his wide-ranging 20-plus years of experience at the NBA level will enable him to do on a day-to-day basis. It is that type of experience and insight that will prove invaluable as we move forward.”