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Bryant, Fisher lead Lakers to victory in Finals Game 3

The AP reports:

Derek Fisher rallied his teammates with a motivational speech on the bench during the break before the fourth quarter.

Then he went out and showed them how it’s done.

“Derek, he’s our vocal leader. He’s the guy that pulls everybody together and is always giving positive reinforcement,” Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said after Fisher made five baskets in the final period to lead Los Angeles to a 91-84 victory Tuesday night over the Boston Celtics and a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals…

Bryant scored 29 points and Fisher had 16, including 11 in the fourth quarter after Boston cut a 17-point first-half lead to one point…

Bryant had 25 points after three quarters, but he did not score for the first 10 minutes of the fourth. That’s when Fisher took over, hitting four out of five Lakers baskets to help them reclaim the home-court advantage they lost when the Celtics won Game 2 in L.A…

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum had 10 rebounds apiece for Los Angeles.

Kevin Garnett, who had just six points in Boston’s victory Sunday, had 25 in Game 3. But Allen, who had 32 points in Game 2, missed all 13 field goal attempts—one shy of the NBA finals futility record—many of them while Fisher was guarding him…

The Lakers opened a 37-20 first-half lead, but Boston cut the deficit to four late in the third quarter and then made it 68-67 early in the fourth on consecutive drives by Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Rajon Rondo. With a chance to take the lead, Allen was called for an offensive foul away from the ball…

Allen missed all eight 3-pointers, all five 2-pointers and got to the line just twice.

Scottie Pippen testifies in financial malpractice suit

Lisa Donovan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

During his high-flying NBA years, former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen’s life was consumed by the basketball court, and money matters were entrusted to a big-league financial guru and attorneys.

But on Tuesday, Pippen took the witness stand in a downtown Chicago courtroom and talked about how lousy financial advice led to a bad $1.35 million investment in a Gulfstream jet and a $3.25 million investment in a real estate development deal in the 1700 block of West 119th Street that eventually went bankrupt…

Pippen already has sued Lunn, who filed for bankruptcy amid lawsuits alleging he looted other clients’ investments, loaned their money to friends and associates, and lied about it. The NBA star settled for $1.5 million.

But now Pippen is seeking $8 million from the law firm that worked with Lunn on the jet deal, claiming the firm failed to make sure an inspection was done on the aircraft before Pippen sank more than a $1 million to buy a partial share of the 25-year-old jet, which ended up needing an estimated $1 million engine overhaul months after the deal closed, according to Pippen’s attorneys.

Amare Stoudemire does not plan to exercise player option

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Phoenix Suns All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire said today that there is “no chance” he will play for his $17.7 million contract option with Phoenix next season but remains hopeful that scheduled upcoming negotiations will result in a contract extension to remain with the Phoenix Suns.

Stoudemire, speaking at his youth basketball camp in Gilbert, said he does not want to leave the Suns.

Asked if there was a chance of picking up his option on the last year of his current contract, Stoudemire said, “There’s no chance of that at all.”

Mo Evans exercises option to stay with Hawks

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:

Mo Evans studied this summer’s NBA free-agent market, considered the $2.5 million he would get for returning to the Hawks, and chose the money in hand.

Evans said he exercised his 2010-11 contract option with the Hawks on Tuesday. Evans, who also made $2.5 million in 2009-10, said he didn’t like his chances of securing a long-term contract as a free agent.

“There are not a lot of teams out there giving away contracts,” Evans said. “I’m satisfied with my deal even though it’s undervalued. I’m still going to go out and do my job.”

Grant Hill exercises option to stay with Suns

Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill has exercised the one-year player option on his contract and will return to Phoenix for the 2010-11 season, the club announced today.

“We’re thrilled that Grant has decided to exercise his option and return to the Suns next season,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. “He is a critical part of our success, both because of his skill as a player and also his leadership and professionalism that help guide our team. Grant sums up what the Phoenix Suns are all about.”

The 6-8, 225-pound forward is coming off a 2009-10 regular season in which he averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, his highest rebounding average since 2002-03 and his most total rebounds (445) in a single season since 1999-00. In the playoffs, Hill averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, second-most on the squad, in the Suns’ run to the 2010 Western Conference Finals, the deepest postseason run of Hill’s career.

“The decision to stay in Phoenix was easy,” said Hill. “Our team’s success on the court last season was the result of the efforts of a great group of guys and I’m looking forward to building on that with them and being a part of this team next season.”

NBA approves sale of Washington Wizards to Lincoln Holdings

The NBA Board of Governors has unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Wizards to Lincoln Holdings, an enterprise controlled by Ted Leonsis.

“We are pleased that the NBA’s Board of Governors has approved Ted Leonsis’s purchase of majority ownership of the Wizards from the Pollin family,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “The transaction signifies the end of an era and a passing of the torch into very capable hands. We have long admired what Ted has done with the Washington Capitals in terms of sales, marketing and outreach in the community, and we look forward to him bringing those skills to bear for the Wizards.”

Cavaliers appear to want Tom Izzo

The AP reports:

The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in hiring Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo to replace Mike Brown, whom they fired as coach last month, according to the Spartans’ athletic director, Mark Hollis.

“If I was anywhere but at Michigan State, I would be interested in Tom, too, because he’s the best coach in college basketball,” Hollis said in a telephone interview, adding that there was “not a contract offer on the table” from the Cavaliers.

Multiple news media outlets have reported on the Cavaliers’ interest in Izzo.

Nate Robinson a Finals spark for Celtics

Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Nate Robinson providing spark for Celtics in Finals

On Sunday night in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, a 103-94 Celtics win, Nate Robinson caught fire again, giving his team seven points in just six minutes during a tight fourth quarter.

He started the fourth with the score tied, 72-72, and replaced point guard Rajon Rondo, who had played all 36 minutes to that point and was “exhausted,” according to Celtics Coach Doc Rivers.

“Yeah, I needed it,” Rondo said of a breather.

At the 8-minute, 59-second mark, Robinson pulled up for a three-pointer at the top of the key that gave the Celtics the lead, 81-80. A steal by fellow Celtics guard Tony Allen on the other end led to a fast-break Robinson layup on the break 24 seconds later.

A few minutes later, he was fouled by Lakers center Andrew Bynum and converted two free throws.

Lamar Odom invisible in Finals games 1 and 2

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Lamar Odom is not only one of the most genuinely good guys in all of Los Angeles sports, but also one of the most maddening. The Lakers need him, but, even after six years here, they don’t really know him. Even this spring, while he’s finally wearing one of their rings, they haven’t figured him out.

Is he the guy who finished so well against Oklahoma City, or who had trouble getting started against Utah? Is he the guy who went for 19 points and 19 rebounds against Phoenix or was he, as the Suns’ Amare Stoudemire said, just lucky?

So far in the Finals, he’s been neither. So far, he’s been less involved than Dustin Hoffman. With the series tied at one game apiece, he’s averaging four points and five rebounds in an average of 18 foul-ridden minutes per game.

From the moment one of Kobe Bryant’s passes bounced oddly off his chest in Game 1, Odom hasn’t been able to match the moment. Is his cluttered head there? Is his bruised body there? We know the Kardashian family is there, and that’s enough to make anyone lose his marbles.

Andrew Bynum stepping up for Lakers early in Finals

Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald reports:

Ron Artest has been inconsistent, and Lamar Odom has been invisible. So, the Los Angeles Lakers have needed another player to step up in support of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Few expected it would be Andrew Bynum, but the Lakers center has been a major presence in the first two games of the Finals.

Bynum’s playing time had dipped significantly after he suffered a slight tear in his right meniscus in the first round against Oklahoma City, but he’s made a resurgence against the Celtics. The 7-footer is averaging 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while shooting 62.5 percent from the field.

Bynum was a monster in the Lakers’ 103-94 Game 2 loss Sunday at the Staples Center, tying a career playoff-high with 21 points to go with seven blocks. He also logged a playoffs-high 39 minutes.

“I’m just out playing hard,” Bynum said. “I take my treatment and play hard. It is what it is with my knee. I’ve been telling myself that the whole playoffs.”