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Deron Williams shoots 0-for-9 in Nets Game 2 loss to Heat

The Nets are battling the Heat in the second round of the 2014 NBA playoffs. Miami is a loaded team, and one of the key advantages the Nets should have is at the point guard position, where Deron Williams is supposed to be a better player than Mario Chalmers. But D-Will shot 0-of-9 in Game 2, finishing with zero points in the Nets loss. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

History tells us this series is over. The Nets might still win a game. But they don’t have what it takes to win a playoff series against the Miami Heat.

Their problems start, guess where? With the guy who is their most important player.

What a bad night for this to happen, but Deron Williams had his first scoreless playoff game of his career and it was the main story coming out of his team’s 94-82 loss to the two-time defending champs.

Williams’ line on Thursday night was awful: Thirty-six minutes. Nine shots. No makes. And no trips to the foul line. Yes, he had six assists and seven boards. But that was merely silver lining stuff.

If he had been a factor with his shooting and was able to give the Nets his usual 17 points he averaged in their eight previous playoff games, this series could perhaps be tied at 1-1.

Kevin Garnett barely scoring so far in Nets-Heat playoff series

At this point in his career, Kevin Garnett is mostly focused on rebounding, defending, working hard and doing the zillion little things that help a team win. But he still has to score at least a little, especially against a championship-level team like the Heat. Not happening so far early in the Heat-Nets series. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Two days after he went scoreless for the first time in his playoff career, Kevin Garnett was somehow worse in Game 2 – scoring just four points while missing five of his six shots in the paint.

The culmination of the 37-year-old’s frustration was an open five-footer with 5:28 remaining, which turned into a Ray Allen 3-pointer at the other end, and an eight-point Brooklyn deficit.

It also left Garnett grabbing his head as he walked to the bench following a timeout.

“I’m not happy with my play right now. I’m trying to get in a flow and a rhythm,” said Garnett, who is shooting 20% and averaging two points in the two games against Miami. “Try to bring something. It’s just frustrating. But I’ll grind through it.

“(I’ll) continue to work. Continue to find ways to be aggressive offensively. Continue to look for opportunities. Rebound the ball. And continue to talk and inspire.”

Michael Beasley, Greg Oden watching from Heat bench so far in playoffs

The Heat are up 2-0 against the Nets in their second round NBA playoff series. Here’s the Miami Herald on a couple of Heat players who so far in the playoffs have a good view from their seats on the bench. Which isn’t surprising, considering the Heat rotation players already have championship rings from their previous playoff efforts:

In crafting its roster last summer, the Heat hoped Greg Oden and Michael Beasley would provide an extra boost in its title defense.

Turns out, neither has been needed so far in the early stages of the playoffs.

Not only are both out of the rotation, but one is usually relegated to the Heat’s inactive list, alongside rookie Justin Hamilton.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kept Beasley active ahead of Oden in the first and second games of this series because the Nets “are a very perimeter-oriented team.”

With the Nets playing a lot of smaller lineups, this series is not the ideal matchup for Oden, who played 212 minutes in 23 games this season, including six starts, and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Oden, who hasn’t appeared in a Heat playoff game, might earn minutes in an Eastern Conference finals matchup against Indiana’s Roy Hibbert or Washington’s Marcin Gortat, though he likely would play behind Udonis Haslem if he plays at all.

Spurs take 2-0 series lead against Blazers

Here’s the Oregonian reporting on the San Antonio Spurs, who have taken a 2-0 series lead in their second round NBA playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers:

Maybe it was being pushed to seven games by Dallas, or the re-emergence of the bench, or meeting an opponent with nowhere near the playoff experience they have.

Or maybe it doesn’t matter why the San Antonio Spurs look once again like the class of the Western Conference, like the team that went 12-2 in the West playoffs last season, won a league-best 62 games and won 19 games in a row this season.

Whatever the reason, the Spurs are on a dominant run that started with a 23-point win in Game 7 against Dallas and continued Thursday with their second consecutive shellacking of the Trail Blazers, this time 114-97 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series at the AT&T Center.

The victory came two nights after a 24-point win in Game 1.

“The aggressiveness, the concentration for 48 minutes — off the charts,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “So we are very happy with that, and hopefully, we maintain this.”

Photo: Portland Trail Blazers find a snake in their locker room

The Portland Trail Blazers are in San Antonio tonight to play Game 2 of their second round NBA playoff series against the Spurs. A friend was waiting for the visiting team in the locker room: An actual snake, found in Thomas Robinson’s locker according to the Blazers’ team blog. Here’s a photo that Mo Williams posted:

This is from the Train Blazers’ team blog: “Man, me and Thomas [Robinson] at our lockers as usual,” explained Trail Blazers guard Will Barton. “We’re changing and he goes to put his shoes down and he’s like ‘What the …?’ You know what he said. He’s like ‘There’s a snake under my locker dog!’ And I’m like ‘Stop playing.’ He’s like ‘No for real! A real snake!’ And we just looked under there and there was a snake. I was scared!”

2013-14 All-Euroleague teams announced

Here’s Euroleague.net reporting on the best players in 2013-14 Euroleague action:

Just before the basketball world turns its attention to Milan for the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, Euroleague Basketball is pleased to honor 10 of the stars that made this season so spectacular, the 2013-14 All-Euroleague First and Second Teams. To select them, tens of thousands of fans from around the globe were able to cast votes for their favorite players, as did media members from each of the countries with Euroleague teams.

The All-Euroleague selections feature players from seven teams and five players who appear among the competition’s best for the first time.

The All-Euroleague First Team features five superstars from four different teams: Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez from Real Madrid, Keith Langford from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Sonny Weems from CSKA Moscow and Ante Tomic from FC Barcelona. Both Fernandez and Tomic return after appearing on the 2012-13 All-Euroleague First Team.

The All-Euroleague Second Team consists of Ricky Hickman from Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Vasilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos Piraeus, Victor Khryapa of CSKA Moscow, Nikola Mirotic of Real Madrid and Stephane Lasme of Panathinaikos Athens. This marks Spanoulis’s fifth straight All-Euroleague selection and seventh overall, which ties him with FC Barcelona great Juan Carlos Navarro for the most in competition history. Khryapa is selected to an All-Euroleague Team for the third time and Mirotic for the second time.

NBA owners meet again to discuss Clippers situation

NBA owners went back to work Wednesday on Commissioner Adam Silver’s desire to end Donald Sterling’s ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The advisory/finance committee held its second conference call in the past two weeks, reviewing the timing and process for forcing Sterling to sell the franchise following his lifetime ban for making racist comments.

League spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement that the committee also discussed the search for a new CEO and got an update on Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum’s visit with Clippers employees. The owners plan to meet again next week.

— Associated Press

Paul Millsap exit interview

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution interviewing Hawks forward Paul Millsap. THe Hawks put up a good fight in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs but lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers.

Q. You said after Game 7 that while many believe this team overachieved, you believe it underachieved. After some reflection, do you still feel that way?

A. I knew you were going to bring that up. I do, man. Looking over the season, the things that we’ve been through, the struggles we had to live with, it was definitely a great season for us. We were able to accomplish a lot, as far as style of play and the way we want to play. But I’m always going to look ahead and say we could have done this, we could have done that.

Q. What are your summer plans?

A. Right now, take a little time off to relax my body, definitely relax my mind. And then get back going. My thing over the years is to continue to get better. I know I have some things I have to get better at, I want to get better at. It’s going to be a long summer but I’m up for the challenge.

For more, hit the link above to the original source.

Mike Woodson still focused on NBA coaching

Here’s New York Newsday reporting on former Knicks head coach Mike Woodson:

As the Knicks continue pursuing Steve Kerr to be their new coach, their old one is hoping to get back in the game.

Mike Woodson, whom the Knicks fired April 21, said he wants to coach next season.

“My interest right now is still coaching,” Woodson said during a phone interview promoting his golf tournament in Las Vegas in July. “I enjoy doing it. I’ve been doing it for the last 20-plus years and I love the NBA.”

Woodson still has one season remaining on his Knicks contract, but he said he doesn’t want to take a year off. The Lakers, Jazz and Warriors have openings. But it doesn’t appear Woodson is a candidate for them at this point.

Utah Jazz executive Bob Hyde will retire

Here’s the Deseret News reporting on the Jazz:

One of the top executives of the Utah Jazz organization and Fanzz stores will be retiring after the NBA draft.

Executive vice president Bob Hyde will retire from his positions as the Jazz’s chief financial officer and Fanzz president at the end of June after working for the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies for the past 30 years in various capacities.

The Jazz are expecting Hyde to continue to provide his capologist input on a part-time basis or as a consultant.