NBA Teams – Page 2371 – NBA Blog

May 20: Celtics 88, Pistons 79

The AP reports: Not even a week of rest could prepare the Detroit Pistons for the hottest home team in the NBA. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and nine rebounds and Paul Pierce scored 22 points Tuesday night to give Boston an 88-79 victory over the Pistons in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics’ 15th straight home win… Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds for Boston and Rajon Rondo scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the game after the Pistons cut the deficit to 83-75. Rondo also had seven assists and five steals while outplaying Chauncey Billups, the MVP of the 2004 NBA finals, in his return from a right hamstring injury… The Pistons quickly erased the first-quarter lead, even going ahead 13-12. But they trailed 41-40 at halftime and scored just 17 points in the third quarter, 10 from Richard Hamilton, while the Celtics took a 69-57 lead on Eddie House’s 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 52.2%, the Pistons 42.4%. Three-pointers weren’t much of a favor. The Pistons got to the free throw line a bit more, and hit a slightly higher percentage. Rebounding was even. But the Celtics dished 27 assists, the Pistons just 15. Turnovers were close.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (11-of-17) had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Paul Pierce (9-of-18) had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists (but 5 turnovers). Rajon Rondo (5-of-9) had 11 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Ray Allen (just 3-of-10) keeps struggling and had 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds.

For the Pistons, Tayshaun Prince (just 7-of-16 with no free throws) had 16 points and 4 rebounds. Richard Hamilton (just 5-of-13) had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Antonio McDyess (5-of-10) was good with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace (just 3-of-12) had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chauncey Billups (3-of-6), returning from injury, in 31 minutes had 9 points and little else.

No one trying to take Pat Ewing from Magic

The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: Unless circumstances change, Magic assistant coach and Howard’s big-man guru Patrick Ewing will return next season. Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins told the Sentinel that no team has asked the club for permission to talk to Ewing, including his former team, the New York Knicks. When Mike D’Antoni took over the Knicks as coach last week, he said he would be interested in handing one of his assistant spots to Ewing, who has another year on his contract with the Magic.

George Karl has left hip replacement surgery

Denver Nuggets Head Coach George Karl underwent successful left hip replacement surgery today.

The surgery, which lasted more than two hours, was performed at Rose Hospital by Dr. Hal Crane of Orthopedic Associates, the team orthopedic group for the Nuggets.

Karl is expected to resume walking without a cane in a week to 10 days.

Billups still not fully healthy

The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports: Well, finally, before shoot-around Tuesday morning, Chauncey Billups came clean. The hamstring injury that he sustained in Game 3 in Orlando may never be completely healed the rest of the playoffs. But it’s healed enough for him to play and to be, in his mind, productive. “I’m feeling pretty good,” he said, “and for what’s not good I know once the adrenaline gets going and the excitement of the game, I will be fine.”

Cavs may make summer changes

The Akron Beacon Journal (Brian Windhorst) reports: Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert agrees with LeBron James, who said Sunday that some personnel moves might be in order, that some changes have to be made before next season. He said he thought putting the team in a better chance to win a Game 7 was important, and it started with ”having a focus to have a better regular season” so they could get homecourt advantage. The Cavs won five fewer games this season and slipped from the No. 2 seed in the East to the No. 4 seed. But that will likely not include any changes at the very top. Gilbert said he has a ”great respect” for Brown and General Manager Danny Ferry. The owner said he would hold meetings with team officials in a couple weeks to examine what changes could be made. As for whether he is feeling any stress about getting James a so-called star ”sidekick” or making some changes to upgrade the Cavs’ often stagnant offense, Gilbert avoided being pinned down.

May 19: Spurs 91, Hornets 82

The AP reports: Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, to send the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 victory Monday night. Tony Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the first team in this series to win on the road… David West led the Hornets with 20 points, while Chris Paul and Jannero Pargo each added 18. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who cut a deficit as large as 17 down to three inside the final two minutes. While the Hornets managed to hold Duncan under 20 points by crowding the inside, his Spurs teammates combined for 12 3-pointers to keep alive their chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time… Buoyed by a home crowd that stood throughout the fourth quarter, the Hornets fought back to make a game of it, largely behind Jannero Pargo, who had done little in this series. He scored seven straight on four free throws sandwiched around a 3-pointer, pulling the Hornets to 81-77 with 3:10 to go.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets and Spurs both shot close to 40.0%, but the Spurs nailed 12-of-28 three-pointers, the Hornets just 4-of-17. The Spurs also had a few more free throw attempts, and shot better from the line. The Spurs also rebounded a bit better. New Orleans committed fewer turnovers.

For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili (just 6-of-19, 4-of-11 threes, but 10-of-11 free throws) had 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Tony Parker (just 7-of-17) had 17 points and 5 assists. Tim Duncan (just 5-of-17) had 16 points, 14 rebounds, more turnovers than assists, and no blocks. Francisco Oberto grabbed 9 boards. Off the bench, Ime Udoka scored 8, Robert Horry 6, Mike Finley 6.

For the Hornets, David West (just 8-of-19) had 20 points and 9 rebounds. Chris Paul (8-of-18 with no threes and just a few free throws) had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 steals. Jannero Pargo (6-of-16) had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyson Chandler (6-of-8) had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Morris Peterson (just 2-of-7) had 5 points and little else. Peja Stojakovic (3-of-11, 1-of-5 threes) had 7 points and little else. And the Hornets only got 19 bench points, and Pargo was 18 of those.

Paul Millsap to have thumb surgery

Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb this Thursday, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today.

Millsap injured the thumb in the Game Six loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on May 16. Following x-rays, Jazz physician Dr. Lyle Mason preliminarily diagnosed the thumb injury as a torn ulnar ligament.

A second opinion by Dr. Steven Huish today confirmed that Millsap suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, and Dr. Huish will perform surgery to repair the ligament on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

A report on the surgery and an estimated timeline for Millsap’s recovery will be provided on Friday.

Originally selected by the Jazz in the second round (47th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, Millsap has appeared in all 164 regular season games and all 29 playoff games in his first two seasons. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game this season.

Jay-Z to rep Nets at draft lottery Tuesday

Nets investor and music executive Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter will represent the Nets at the NBA Draft Lottery tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20, at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, NJ. The Draft Lottery will be televised live on ESPN from 8 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.

No word on if Tupac will represent any Cali teams.

I think it’s cool that Jay-Z will rep the Nets. I support anything that adds interest to an already-important event that will help determine the future of a few squads.

May 18: Celtics 97, Cavs 92

The AP reports: Paul Pierce hit a shot. Then LeBron James answered. Pierce hit another and so did James. It was like that all game long, two of the NBA’s best trying to carry their teams to the next round. Pierce and the Boston Celtics succeeded, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-92 on Sunday… Pierce scored 41 points, James had 45 and Boston remained unbeaten in the playoffs at home, where the first two games against the Pistons will be played Tuesday and Thursday night… Pierce hit 13 of 23 shots and James went 14-for-29… The Celtics never trailed Sunday but they never were safe until the final seconds. Pierce hit two free throws with 7.9 seconds left for the final points, then James missed a 3-pointer on the last shot of the game with 4.4 seconds to go… Sasha Pavlovic’s 3-pointer made it 95-92 with 8.6 seconds left and the Cavaliers immediately fouled Pierce. His first shot hit the rim, hung in the air, then fell through as the crowd roared. Pierce said team patriarch Red Auerbach, who died in October 2006 at age 89, had something to do with that.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 47.8%, the Cavaliers 44.8%. The Celtics took just 12 three-pointers but made 5 (Pierce hit 4), while the Cavs launched 22 threes but hit just 7. Free throws were almost even, though the Celtics hit a few more. Boston won rebounds 39-29 and won assists 39-29.

For the Celtics, Paul Pierce (13-of-23, 4-of-6 threes, 11-of-12 free throws) had 41 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists (but 4 turnovers). Kevin Garnett (just 5-of-13) had 13 points and 13 rebounds. PJ Brown played 20 bench minutes and shot 4-of-4 for 10 points and 6 rebounds. Rajon Rondo was just 4-of-11 for 8 points but was terrific with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Ray Allen continues to stink, shooting 1-of-6 for 4 points and almost nothing else.

For the Cavs, LeBron James (14-of-29, 3-of-11 threes, 14-of-19 free throws) had 45 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Delonte West (4-of-8) had 15 points and 5 assists, but 6 turnovers. Wally Szczerbiak was junk, shooting 0-of-3 in 15 minutes. Ben Wallace was fairly useless with 3 points, 4 rebounds and a block in almost 30 minutes. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was worn out, shooting 2-of-8 for 8 points, 5 rebounds and little else. Joe Smith was good off the bench with 6 points and 6 rebounds. Anderson Varejao played just 11 minutes and had 5 points and just 2 rebounds. And Sasha Pavlovic in over 35 minutes did little more than take 8 shots to score 7 points with 5 fouls.

Mutombo wants to play next season

The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: Dikembe Mutombo said Thursday he would instruct agent David Falk to negotiate with the Rockets on a contract for another year. Having Mutombo back for an 18th NBA season would not seem to be progress on change. It would be. Mutombo, at this stage of his career, is insurance. His return would allow the Rockets to spend their summer allowance on the perimeter, rather than on a Mutombo successor. Big men are expensive. The Rockets did not want to empty the mid-level bank account on a guy that – again, assuming the Yao-McGrady foundation to be sound – would only play 12 to 14 minutes a game at most behind Yao.