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The AP reports:
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The San Antonio Spurs turned in a starting lineup for the season finale that included Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Then coach Gregg Popovich changed his mind.
Duncan and Ginobili didn’t even suit up for a game against the Dallas Mavericks that had direct playoff implications — a Dallas win would give the Mavs the No. 2 seed and the Spurs the No. 7 seed, meaning they would meet in the first round of the playoffs.
The sporting world can now add an entire roster of Texas Legends to the history books: The newest NBA D-League franchise has a team name!
The Texas Legends begin play this November at their home in the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Team owners, Donnie Nelson and Evan Wyly, revealed their team name during a “Birthday Party” press conference just prior to the Harlem Globetrotters game on Saturday evening.
“Texas Legends is a tribute to the men and women who helped make our great state what it is today!” Nelson commented. “From early pioneers of freedom to modern day heroes, we celebrate those who’ve sacrificed greatly and achieved the honorable.”
The team is “Legendary” even prior to drafting players. Nelson and Wyly made history by hiring Nancy Lieberman as the Texas Legends’ head coach. Lieberman is the first female head coach in NBA and NBA D-League history. In addition to Lieberman, 1986 Slam Dunk Champion, “Spud” Webb is the team’s President of Basketball Operations, and NBA coaching legend Del Harris is the team’s General Manager.
“Our team name, Texas Legends, is a great fit because the NBA Development League is where future NBA legends are born!” Wyly added.
Thousands of name submissions came from the Metroplex, all corners of the United States, and even as far away as Europe, China, and Australia. Fans sent in name choices which were then narrowed down to 40, and then a final three candidates.
“We’ve got a Legendary staff, and we will have a Legendary franchise,” Webb commented. “Anytime a new franchise announces its team name it is a historic day, but to have such a unique name makes it even more exciting. We’ve gotten off to a great start the past few months, and now with a team name it’s going to be a slam dunk.”
The Texas Legends is the 17th team in the NBA D-League franchise.
“The Texas Legends will be a franchise that is a tremendous opportunity for any player.” Harris concluded. “This is the purpose of the NBA Development League – developing players both on and off the court – and preparing them for an NBA opportunity. As a Texas Legend, you get the opportunity to become an NBA legend.”
The AP reports:
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Don Nelson emerged from the Golden State Warriors locker room all disheveled from a wild celebration after finally overtaking Lenny Wilkens as the NBA’s winningest coach.
His gray hair was soaked to the scalp not with Dom Perignon, but a concoction of fizzy soft drinks after a 116-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night gave Nelson win No. 1,333 for his career…
In 31 seasons on the bench, Nelson is 1,333-1,061 in a career that has made stops in Milwaukee, Golden State (twice), New York and Dallas. He won five titles as a player, has been named coach of the year three times, but has never made an NBA Finals as a coach.
The AP reports:
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Dwight Howard regularly dominates in the paint for the Orlando Magic. The X-factor for the Magic is their 3-point shooting.
Howard had 17 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots, and his teammates converted 14 of 24 attempts from 3-point range as the Magic atoned for an earlier loss to Dallas with a 97-82 victory over the Mavericks on Thursday night.
Reserve Mickael Pietrus had a season-high 24 points, making all six of his 3-point attempts, and Vince Carter added 19 points to help Orlando win for the 14th time in 16 games…
Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jason Terry and J.J. Barea had 16 points apiece in reserve roles for Dallas.
Nowitzki’s fellow starters—Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler and Jason Kidd—combined for only 20 points.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports:
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Either the Mavericks figured something out on Monday night, or the Denver Nuggets aren’t the same team they used to be. Or maybe it’s both.
The Western Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed now is there for the Mavericks’ taking after they dissected the Nuggets, 109-93, Monday night.
Dirk Nowitzki dominated with his second career triple-double, and the Mavericks took the season series, 2-1. That means any tie between the teams will go to the Mavericks when it comes to playoff seedings.
The AP reports:
Dirk Nowitzki’s scoring and rebounding are a given. The Dallas Mavericks’ All-Star forward also prides himself on his passing.
Nowitzki had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double, and the Mavericks maintained the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a 109-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
His first 16 double-doubles this season were for points and rebounds. But with the Nuggets throwing double-teams at him, Nowitzki passed to open teammates for easy baskets.
The AP reports:
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Rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois played just 48 seconds and went scoreless Wednesday night when the Dallas Mavericks lost to Portland.
Beaubois made up for lost time Saturday night and made a strong case for more playing time, scoring a career-high 40 points in the Mavericks’ 111-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
“I felt great,” Beaubois said. “I thought I couldn’t miss so I kept shooting.”
Beaubois made 9 of 11 3-pointers, was 15 of 22 overall from the field, made his only free throw and had eight rebounds to help the Mavericks snapped their two-game losing streak. The 6-footer from Guadeloupe had 26 points in the first half, two more points than his previous career game high.
InsideHoops.com adds:
Beaubois also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
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Dallas Mavericks guard Caron Butler has been fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language toward fans, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
The incident occurred with 9.9 seconds remaining in the 2nd period of the Mavericks’ 101-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, March 25 at the Rose Garden.
The AP reports:
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The Boston Celtics got the split they wanted with the Dallas Mavericks.
Paul Pierce scored 29 points, Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Celtics stretched their winning streak to four games with a 102-93 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night.
Ray Allen had 21 points for the Celtics, beaten by the Mavericks 99-90 in Boston on Jan. 18 in their only other meeting this season.
Boston’s Rasheed Wallace vowed “retribution” in the rematch, complaining after the game in January that the referees give Dallas’ top scorer Dirk Nowitzki preferential treatment. Wallace refused to comment after Saturday night’s game, but Rondo said the Celtics weren’t dwelling on the past…
This time, Garnett and Wallace took turns guarding Nowitzki, who still went 11 for 19 from the floor and finished with 28 points.
The AP reports:
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Bill Walker scored a career-high 23 points, Wilson Chandler added 22 and the New York Knicks snapped Dallas’ 13-game winning streak and avenged a 50-point loss to the Mavericks earlier this season with a 128-94 victory on Saturday night…
Rookie Toney Douglas had 21 points, Al Harrington added 20 points, and David Lee contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, who’d lost 14 of their previous 17 and nine straight in Dallas.
InsideHoops.com Notes:
The Knicks as a team shot 56.2%; the Mavericks hit 42.5%. But even better for New York was their incredible three-point shooting: 16-of-30. The Knicks also won the assists category, 28-14.
For New York, Walker shot 9-of-12 and hit 5-of-8 threes. Wilson Chandler scored 22 but he needed 20 shots to do it. Douglas, starting at point guard, shot 8-of-10 for his 21 points, and he dished eight assists. Harrington hit 8-of-15. And David Lee was fantastic in the middle, contributing 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.
For Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had a modest 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Kidd had 15 points on 12 shots and not much more. Shawn Marion had a mere 14 points on 15 shots. And Caron Butler was virtually invisible in his 30 minutes with seven points, three steals and little else.
Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports:
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Ryan Hollins insists he’s not a “dirty player or anything like that,” but he still was given a two-game suspension Wednesday by Stu Jackson, the league’s executive vice president of basketball operations, for striking Dallas guard DeShawn Stevenson during Monday night’s game at Target Center.
“I understand the suspension,” Hollins said after Thursday’s practice. “They said my fist was closed when it happened. That’s a league rule. I have to learn to control myself better and know what the refs are watching. I know it’s a matter of interpretation about what they see.”
Hollins is allowed to practice during his suspension, which cost him $53,252 of his $2.183 million salary this season, but he is prohibited from being in the arena for Wolves games. He was at home for Wednesday’s loss to Denver and will be again tonight for the Wolves’ game against San Antonio at Target Center.