NBA Teams – Page 2376 – NBA Blog

Apr. 28: Magic 102, Raptors 92

The AP reports: Dwight Howard had 21 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks—his third 20-20 game in the series—and the Magic advanced to second round for the first time in 12 years by beating the Toronto Raptors 102-92 in Game 5 on Monday night… Chris Bosh, who posted career playoff highs of 39 points and 15 rebounds at Toronto on Saturday, had 16 points and nine rebounds Monday. Howard frustrated him down low into 7-of-19 shooting, and Bosh picked up a third-quarter technical foul after the Magic star muscled past him for a layup. T.J. Ford and Carlos Delfino both scored 14 points for the Raptors, while Jason Kapono had 13 and Jose Calderon 12. Delfino added seven rebounds and Ford had five assists… Keyon Dooling’s free throw after the technical on Bosh put the Magic ahead 73-66 with just under a minute left in the third quarter, and Orlando kept that cushion until midway through the fourth. Delfino hit a jumper and Bosh made two free throws in four trips to the line, plus a hook shot over Howard, to draw the Raptors within 84-82.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: Neither team shot particularly well and both teams struggled from three-point range. And both teams shot around 82% from the free throw line, though the Magic got more opportunities. A huge factor was rebounding: Magic 55 boards, Raptors only 37. Assists were almost even. The Magic threw the ball away more than the Raptors. As for individual players, for the Magic: Dwight Howard on just 12 shots had 21 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jameer Nelson scored 19. Rashard Lewis had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Hedo Turko shot just 4-of-13 but with his 12 points also came 8 rebounds and 9 assists. For the Raptors, Chris Bosh took 19 shots for just 16 points, plus 9 rebounds. Five other Raptors scored between 11 and 14 points.

Bobcats to name Larry Brown coach Tuesday

The Charlotte Bobcats will make a major announcement in a press conference on Tuesday, around 1 p.m. ET. It’ll be to name their new head coach, Larry Brown.

A nomad who bounces around to a different team seemingly every 15 minutes, Brown is a perfect coach to properly mold a team. The issue is if he’ll stick around.

Brown will have to figure out exactly how Raymond Felton should be used, how to properly mix and match Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace, help Emeka Okafor continus his development, and help Adam Morrison make the most of his talent.

It’ll be fun seeing his effect on the squad. Terrific hire by Michael Jordan’s Bobcats.

Wade, Mourning react to Heat coaching change

Miami Heat President and Head Coach Pat Riley has stepped down as Head Coach of the Miami Heat, but will continue to serve as team President. Former Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting Erik Spoelstra has been elevated to head coach. Spoelstra becomes the sixth head coach in franchise history.

Here’s Dwyane Wade reaction to the coaching change: “I am excited about the future of our organization….as head coach – Pat Riley has instilled in me values that enabled me to win a championship in just three seasons. I’ve seen him do the necessary things to make us winners and I believe that with his focus on being president and his commitment to the team – we will once again become a contender…I believe in Coach Spo and have complete confidence that our team will succeed with him at the helm.”

And here’s what Alonzo Mourning said: “A big reason for coming to Miami was to help Coach Riley build a winning team and franchise…we’ve experienced many rough times together on the road to the 2006 championship, and those experiences made the winning that much more gratifying. I admire Coach Riley and his accomplishments and I am also proud of Spo, who will now step into this position to take the organization back to our winning ways.”

Riley right to step down as coach

Heat coach Pat Riley, probably realizing that it’s no fun coaching a team that gets destroyed by 70 points a night, is making the wise move to just be team president. Former assistant coach/director of scouting Erik Spoelstra is now head coach. It’s not surprising that the new coach came from within, as Spoelstra obviously has Riley’s respect, knows the players and the team’s secrets. And until Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion get a lot more help around them the team has plenty of rebuilding to to.

“The game of basketball is a game about talent,” said Riley. “While we are always looking for NBA talent to perform on the court, the most important talent that you may find has to perform on the bench, in the locker room, on the practice court, late at night, watching film, motivating and executing all the responsibilities of a head coach. I believe Erik Spoelstra is one of the most talented young coaches to come around in a long time. This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative and bring fresh new ideas. That’s what we feel we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He’s a man that was born to coach.”

More info about Spoelstra is here.

Apr. 27: Hornets 97, Mavs 84

The AP reports: David West bounced back from a miserable Game 3 with a determined effort in Game 4, scoring 10 points in an early second half rally that sent the Hornets surging past the Mavericks 97-84 on Sunday night, giving them a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. West had 24 points and nine rebounds, Chris Paul had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and the Hornets ended an 0-for-14 drought in Dallas that dated to January 1998. Now they’re headed to New Orleans, hoping to win Game 5 on Tuesday night and avoid coming back to Big D until next season. The Mavericks are on the brink of a second straight first-round exit… Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 20 points, but they didn’t get much help. Josh Howard was 3-for-16 and Kidd had only three points, three assists and four rebounds before getting ejected with 7:16 left for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo. The exodus in the aisles came soon after, even before Hornets coach Byron Scott pulled his starters… Peja Stojakovic scored 19 points and Julian Wright added 11, including a tremendous dunk off a midcourt steal of Jerry Stackhouse, a play that emphasized the difference in the age and agility of these teams… Even with Pargo running the offense instead of Paul, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, with Wright’s big dunk coming in that spurt.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 50%, the Mavs just 36%. The Hornets hit 4-of-10 three-pointers, the Mavs just 8-of-25. The Mavs had a slight rebounding edge, assists were tied and both teams barely committed any turnovers. For the Hornets, West had 24 points and 9 rebounds. Stojakovic, hitting three of the team’s four three-pointers, had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Chris Paul had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Morris Peterson, Jannero Pargo and Julian Wright (5-of-6) all scored double-digits. For the Mavs, Nowitzki needed 18 shots to get his 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jason Terry took 16 shots to get 20 points and little else. Brandon Bass took 12 shots to get 12 points and 9 rebounds. No other Mavs reached double-digits. Jason Kidd, playing just 29 minutes, shot 1-of-6 for 3 points and little else.

Joe Johnson says Kevin Garnett talks constantly

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Sekou Smith) reports: There’s no question Kevin Garnett’s relentless verbal barrage has energized the Hawks’ retaliatory talents. “That’s all he does is talk. He talks probably every play,” Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said Sunday when asked about Garnett’s running dialogue. When asked if Garnett was asking for suggestions about dinner hot spots around town, Johnson just smiled. “A lot of times he talks to himself,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy.”

Real Heat future starts in 2009-10 season

The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports: The big picture for Miami should be going into training camp in 2009, about 18 months from now, with a team just a tweak or two away from winning the title. That’s possible with the talent that could be available at the trade deadline. Elton Brand and Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers could have expiring contracts going into next season and therefore be trade-deadline bargains. The same could be true for Sacramento forward Ron Artest and Washington guard Gilbert Arenas. And New Orleans guard Jannero Pargo, Philadelphia guard Andre Miller and swingman Andre Iguodala, Portland sharpshooter James Jones, and Toronto guard Carlos Delfino, to name a few.

Bucks will have all new assistants

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Tom Enlund) on Friday reported: None of the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches from this past season will be a part of new coach Scott Skiles’ staff next season. Skiles confirmed Friday that Tony Brown, Brian James, Jim Todd, and Jarinn Akana – all assistant coaches under Larry Krystowiak – had been informed that they would not be retained for next season. This was James’ third season with the Bucks while Brown and Akana were in the first season. Todd was in the first season of his third tenure with the team.

Josh Howard likes to smoke marijuana

The AP (Jamie Aron) reports: Hours before the Dallas Mavericks’ biggest game of the year, forward Josh Howard went on the radio Friday to talk about something else — his fondness for marijuana. It was quite a follow-up to teammate Jerry Stackhouse calling opposing coach Byron Scott “a sucker in my book” on local airwaves. Howard’s comments are more serious because marijuana use is illegal and eligible for punishment from the NBA. It’s a topic he’s addressed before, but never so publicly, so close to tipping off such an important game, the Mavericks down 0-2 in their first-round series against the New Orleans Hornets. “Most of the players in the league use marijuana and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the offseason sometimes,” Howard told The Michael Irvin Show on the local ESPN affiliate. “I mean, that’s my personal choice and my personal opinion, but I don’t think that’s stopping me from doing my job.”

Boris Diaw says he knows how to contain Tony Parker

The San Antonio Express-News (Mike Monroe) reports: Boris Diaw said he has a good “book” on how to defend his friend [Tony Parker]. “I think it does help a little bit because I’ve seen him play a lot,” Diaw said. “I kind of know sometimes when he wants to go to his floater, when he tries to go for his jump shot, or when he is looking to pass. But the main thing is trying to stay close to him and bother the pass or the shot.” Parker was willing to heap praise on Diaw’s offense, if not his defense. The Suns’ forward was just two rebounds shy of a triple double, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Parker’s praise was offered with a caveat.