NBA Teams – Page 1240 – NBA Blog

Heat beat Spurs 109-93, tie NBA Finals 2-2

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison had a message as he walked to the winning locker room.

”The death of the Big Three was overrated,” he said.

Sure was. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his three prized players, are just fine.

So are the Heat’s championship hopes.

Riding big performances from their three All-Stars, the Heat tied the NBA Finals with a 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night in Game 4…

James had 33 points and 11 rebounds after failing to break 20 points in any of the first three games of the series, and Wade scored 32 points, 11 more than his previous high this postseason.

Bosh matched his playoff high with 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, he and Wade supplying the baskets that finally put the Spurs away for good midway through the fourth quarter.

Three players, 85 points. Just the way the Heat envisioned it when they signed James and Bosh to play with Wade in 2010.

”When Bosh, Wade and James score the way they did tonight and shoot it the way they did tonight, a team is going to have a difficult time if you help them like we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

”When those guys are playing like that, you better be playing a perfect game.”

The Spurs weren’t, committing 19 turnovers that led to 23 points…

Tim Duncan scored 20 points for the Spurs, who have one more game here on Sunday. They fell to 10-3 at home all-time in the finals, failing to back up their 113-77 victory in Game 3 that was the third-most lopsided score in the history of the championship series…

Wade shot 14 of 25, adding six steals, six rebounds and four assists in a performance that James compared to when Wade was MVP of the 2006 finals.

Tony Parker had 15 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who made a finals-record 16 3-pointers on Tuesday but got up only 16 attempts in this one. Gary Neal scored 13 points and Danny Green had 10, solid nights but nothing like when they combined for 13 3-pointers two nights earlier.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Warriors center Festus Ezeli undergoes knee surgery

Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli underwent successful surgery yesterday on his right knee, the team announced. The procedure, which was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, was necessary to reinforce both the medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in Ezeli’s right knee. Ezeli suffered a sprained right knee during the club’s regular-season finale this season at Portland on April 17. He will begin rehabilitation in the near future and is expected to make a complete recovery. The team’s medical staff indicates that recovery time could be a minimum of 6-9 months.

Ezeli, 23, appeared in 78 regular-season games (41 starts) as a rookie this past season, averaging 2.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.95 blocks (4th among NBA rookies) in 14.4 minutes per game. His 41 starts were the most by a Warriors rookie center since Joe Barry Carroll started 80 games in 1980-81 and also marked the second-most starts amongst NBA rookies this season – trailing only teammate Harrison Barnes (81).

Originally selected by Golden State with the 30th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, the 6’11” center appeared in 12 playoff games, averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per contest.

Tony Parker will play in Game 4 against Heat

Spurs guard Tony Parker said he will play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after his availability was in doubt because of a mild right hamstring strain.

Parker wouldn’t address his injury at practice Thursday other than answering ”I’ll be ready to go” to multiple questions about his health. The All-Star was hurt early in the second half of Game 3, which the Spurs won to take a 2-1 lead over the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series.

The question now is whether Parker will show any signs of being sore or ailing against the Heat. An MRI taken Wednesday revealed a Grade 1 strain, the mildest level, but Parker had been uncertain about his status until Thursday morning.

Despite Parker getting hurt Tuesday night, the Spurs still walloped Miami 113-77.

Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Doc Rivers still undecided on future

The shroud of mystery surrounding Doc Rivers continues to leave many unsure, the Celtics included, as to what his plans are for the future.

ESPN reported on Wednesday that Rivers believes “it may be time for a change” in his status as Celtics head coach.

But a league source contacted by CSNNE.com on Wednesday indicated that Rivers continues to mull over whether he will return to Boston, and he hasn’t made a decision one way or the other.

“He’s really torn up about this,” the source said.

Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE (Blog)

Bucks assistants out as Larry Drew forming own staff

Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches Joe Wolf, Sidney Moncrief, Chris Gilmartin, Bill Peterson and Anthony Goldwire will not have their contracts renewed, club officials confirmed Wednesday.

New Bucks coach Larry Drew is in the process of putting together his own staff. Although nothing has been announced yet, two of his former assistants in Atlanta, Bob Bender and Nick Van Exel, helped Drew run the team’s draft workout Wednesday.

Moncrief, the Bucks legend and five-time all-star, served as an assistant the past two seasons under Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan. Moncrief was named to replace Kelvin Sampson when he left the staff to become the lead assistant in Houston under Kevin McHale.

Wolf spent five seasons on Milwaukee’s coaching staff, being hired in Skiles’ first season with the Bucks in 2008-’09. Wolf, from Kohler, Wis., became the lead assistant when Boylan took over as interim head coach.

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Blog)

Spurs rout Heat 113-77 in Game 3 of NBA Finals

Danny Green and Gary Neal aren’t NBA royalty like LeBron James.

Either undrafted or unwanted, they were once more likely to be found playing in summer league or some other country than against the mighty Miami Heat.

On Tuesday, they led the San Antonio Spurs to one of the best-shooting, biggest blowouts in NBA Finals history.

Green made seven of the Spurs’ finals-record 16 3-pointers, Tim Duncan had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and the Spurs clobbered the Heat 113-77 on Tuesday night to take 2-1 lead in the series.

Green scored 27 points and Gary Neal made six 3-pointers while scoring 24 as San Antonio went 16 of 32 from behind the arc, rolling to the third-biggest victory in finals history.

”Those guys shot incredibly,” Duncan said. ”Gave us the breathing room when we needed it.”

Neal could be even more important going forward, after starting point guard Tony Parker revealed fresh concerns about his sore hamstring. He plans to get an MRI on Wednesday…

James finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but missed 11 of his first 13 shots against the excellent defense of Kawhi Leonard, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds…

Duncan shot 3 of 13 for nine points, his worst performance ever in his 25 NBA Finals games, in the Heat’s 103-84 victory Sunday. Parker wasn’t much better, shooting 5 of 14 and committing five turnovers, and Manu Ginobili admitted afterward the veteran trio had to play well for the Spurs to win…

Mike Miller made all five 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Heat, who broke open Sunday’s game and seized momentum in the series with a 33-5 run in the second half.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Larry Bird not looking to become general manager of Kings

Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird, who discussed the Kings’ general manager vacancy with new owner Vivek Ranadive and was said to be at least mildly intrigued, told team officials he is no longer interested.

Bird sat out the 2012-13 season and is considering a return to the Indiana Pacers – where he has an open invitation to resume his role as the team’s top basketball executive – or to extend his sabbatical for personal and health reasons.

Bird, 56, was the highest-profile candidate on Ranadive’s wish list. Ranadive is continuing to speak with a number of people about the team’s most important front-office position. He has already interviewed Chris Wallace, Travis Schlenk, David Morway, Mike Dunleavy and Chris Mullin, among others.

Reported by Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee

Ranadive group gets OK to buy another 7 percent of Kings

Consolidating their control of the Sacramento Kings, new majority owner Vivek Ranadive and his partners on Monday secured a bankruptcy judge’s approval to buy another 7 percent share of the team.

The judge turned aside a last-minute purchase offer from former limited partner Bob Cook, who lost the 7 percent share when his real estate empire crumbled. The stake has been under the control of a court-appointed trustee since shortly after Cook went bankrupt in 2011.

Buying Cook’s share will increase the Ranadive group’s ownership stake to 72 percent. NBA Commissioner David Stern’s office has already approved the latest deal, said NBA lawyer Martin Zohn, and the purchase could close Wednesday.

Ranadive is buying the share for $15.1 million – the same amount Seattle investor Chris Hansen was planning to pay.

Reported by Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee

Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt interests the Sixers

The 76ers are considering talking to Denver assistant Melvin Hunt about their coaching job, but they might have to fend off the Nuggets.

Denver is believed to be interested in promoting Hunt to replace George Karl, who was fired last week, league sources said Monday.

“The Sixers have not formally made contact to begin the process, but there has been some talk through the back channels,” a source said.

The Sixers have not sought permission from the Nuggets to speak with Hunt, according to the source.

Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Tim Duncan must step up for Spurs in NBA Finals

On a day of rest at the NBA Finals, Tim Duncan had work to do.

Not only was he admittedly awful in Game 2, he had never been so bad on this stage. He shot 3 for 13 from the field for nine points, posting finals career lows in scoring, field goal percentage and field goals made, according to STATS.

The three-time finals MVP made only 11 of 32 shots in Miami and knows he must be better if the San Antonio Spurs are going to win their fifth title in five finals appearances.

”Obviously, they’re contested shots, but they’re the shots I feel I can make,” Duncan said after the Heat’s 103-84 victory Sunday. ”So whether it be them or me or whatever it may be, I’m going to get back in the gym tomorrow and hopefully come out with a better stroke,” he said. ”But I’m getting the shots I want. I just have to knock them down.”

The teams took Monday off, with the series resuming Tuesday night. The Spurs also will host Game 4 on Thursday and Game 5 on Sunday.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press