Conference finals notes

Boston has yet to trail a series in the postseason. The Celtics are 9-1 at home and 1-6 on the road. Los Angeles also has not trailed in a series. The Lakers are 7-0 at home and 3-3 on the road. San Antonio is 7-0 at home in this postseason and has won 13 straight home games overall.

The Spurs held the Lakers, who lead the postseason in scoring at 107.3 points per game, to 83 points in Game 3. Overall, the Spurs are allowing an average of 97.3 points during the postseason, including 91.6 at home.

Boston is allowing the fewest points in the playoffs at 86.4 points per game.

San Antonio’s Tim Duncan, who scored 22 points in Sunday’s Game 3 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, has now scored at least 20 points in 72 postseason games since 2003, the most 20-point games during that period. Detroit’s Richard Hamilton has scored 20-plus points in 70 playoff games since that time. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki (56) and Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant (53) round out the top four.

In Sunday’s Game 3 win, Duncan had 22 points and 21 rebounds, joining Dwight Howard and Carlos Boozer as the only players with 20-20 games in this postseason.

Manu Ginobili (30 points), Duncan (22) and Tony Parker (20) each scored at least 20 points in the Spurs’ Game 3 win Sunday, the 14th time the trio has scored 20-plus points in the same playoff game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, all time, Boston’s Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson and Kevin McHale scored at least 20 in the same playoff game 15 times, while Philadelphia’s Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Chet Walker also did it 14 times.

Hamilton, who has 2,348 career points in the playoffs, broke Isiah Thomas’ franchise record for postseason scoring this year. He scored a game-high 26 points in Boston’s 94-80 win in Game 3 and matched a team record by making all 16 of his free throws.

Rookie Rodney Stuckey is averaging 13 points for Detroit in the conference finals after averaging 9.8 in the semifinals, 5.2 in the first round and 7.6 during the regular season.

Boston’s Rajon Rondo is averaging 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.76 steals in 32.7 minutes per game during the playoffs. During the regular season, the second-year guard averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.68 steals in 29.9 minutes per game.

– NBA News

May 25: Spurs 103, Lakers 84

The AP reports: “He is such a competitor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after Manu Ginobili scored 30 points to lead the Spurs to a 103-84 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals… Tim Duncan had 22 points, 21 rebounds and five assists, and Tony Parker added 20 points and five assists for the Spurs, who remained unbeaten at home this postseason. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points and Pau Gasol scored 15… Lamar Odom struggled all night, finishing 2-of-11 from the field for seven points. But he had six of the Lakers’ 13 assists and 11 rebounds… Up 69-57 entering the fourth, the Spurs opened with a 12-4 run, and Parker’s layup gave them a 20-point lead with a little over 8 minutes to play. Then Bryant did what Bryant does: almost single-handedly pulled his team out of the hole. He hit four 3-pointers over the course of less than 2 1/2 minutes and his last one brought the Lakers within 88-76 with 5 minutes to play… The Lakers struggled in the second quarter—turning the ball over early in the period on a shot-clock violation, missing free throws and shooting 7-of-17 from the field—and the Spurs pulled away.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Spurs shot 51.4%, the Lakers 42.7%. The Spurs nailed a terrific 10-of-18 three-pointers (Ginobili hit 5 threes), the Lakers a decent 6-of-17. The Spurs hit a decent 17-of-23 free throws, the Lakers an awful 8-of-17. The Lakers had a few more rebounds, but the Spurs had 22 assists, the Lakers just 13. Turnovers were close.

For the Spurs, Ginobili (9-of-15, 5-of-7 threes) had 30 points (and not much else) off the bench. Tim Duncan (8-of-17) had 22 points, 21 rebounds and 5 assists. Tony Parker (9-of-15) had 20 points and 5 assists. Mike Finley scored 8, Francisco Oberto 7, Brent Barry 6 off the bench.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (13-of-23) had 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, but 4 turnovers and one assist. Pau Gasol needed 18 shots for 15 points and not much else. Jordan Farmar (4-of-9, 2-of-3 threes) scored 10 off the bench. Vladimir Radmanovic on 8 shots had 9 points and 9 rebounds. Lamar Odom (awful 2-of-11) had 7 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, but 5 turnovers. Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic were lousy.

Joakim Noah caught with marijuana

The AP reports: Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah, son of former French Open champion Yannick Noah, has been charged with with possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol. Gainesville police spokesman Sgt. Rick Roberts says Noah was arrested around 1:50 a.m. Sunday after an officer spotted him on a sidewalk holding a plastic cup containing an amber drink, a violation of city law. During a search at the station, officers found marijuana in his pocket.

InsideHoops.com says: The Bulls and Noah had some issues last season, and while they like his talent, they aren’t positive about keeping him around for the long-term. This is just one more incident that will count as a strike against him as far as Bulls management is concerned.

Spurs set playoff FT franchise low

The San Antonio Express-News reports: The five three throws the Spurs sank in 10 attempts in Game 2 against the Lakers represents a franchise low for the playoffs. The previous Spurs’ low was seven, which came against Denver in the fifth and final game of the first round last season, a 93-78 Spurs victory. It’s also a record for a Lakers’ playoff opponent. Seattle recorded the previous low when it sank only six free throws against the Lakers on April 27, 1980, in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, which the Lakers won 4-1.

League announces nine likely lottery picks to be interviewed at camp

The NBA pre-draft camp is Tuesday through Friday (May 27-30) and InsideHoops.com will be there, with coverage from us beginning tonight. The first bit of info out is the names of top prospects the NBA has named to be interviewed by the media in a separate setting.

Those names are: DJ Augustin, Texas, Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Eric Gordon (Indiana), Brook Lopez (Stanford), Kevin Love (UCLA), OJ Mayo (USC), Anthony Randolph (LSU) and Derrick Rose (Memphis ).

Since that’s nine guys, more names could be added to the list, but basically that means the league expects those players are likely going to be selected as lottery picks. In no way does this guarantee those guys will all be taken before anyone else. The league inviting these guys to be interviewed in a separate setting just means, chances are, in the first 14 picks, close to all of those players will probably be selected.

May 24: Celtics 94, Pistons 80

The AP reports: The Boston Celtics insisted they weren’t worried about winning a road game, knowing their time would come in the playoffs. Perfect timing. Kevin Garnett scored 22 points to lead Boston to a 94-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals… Boston’s Big Three scored as much as its supporting cast… Two of the Pistons’ starters had awful games. Tayshaun Prince scored four points and Chauncey Billups had six, combining to shoot 3-for-17… The Celtics led 50-32 after holding Detroit to a playoff-low in the first half and getting at least two points from each of the nine Celtics who played… Detroit rallied to pull within 87-78—its smallest deficit since midway through the second quarter—with 3 minutes left, but couldn’t get closer in a game in which it trailed by as many as 24 points.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 46.4%, the Pistons just 38.4%. And the Celtics nailed a decent 5-of-14 three-pointers, the Pistons an awful 1-of-13. Free throws were close. The Celtics dominated the glass, 44-28 rebounds, and dished a few more assists. The Pistons did get more steals, and won blocks, 9-3.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (7-of-16) had 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen (awful 5-of-16, 1-of-6 threes) had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists (so at least he stepped up in the non-shooting department). Rajon Rondo (5-of-10) had 12 points but more turnovers than assists. Kenderick Perkins (6-of-7) had 12 points and 10 rebounds. James Posey on just 5 shots had 12 points off the bench. Pierce Pierce (4-of-6) was off with 11 points, a few steals, and 5 turnovers.

For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton (8-of-18, 10-of-10 free throws) had 26 points, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Rodney Stuckey (4-of-12, but 9-of-10 free throws) had 17 points, 4 assists and 4 steals off the bench. Rasheed Wallace (6-of-13) had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups were both lousy. Jason Maxiell had 7 with 2 blocks off the bench.

Rodney Stuckey getting noticed

The Detroit News (Joanne C. Gerstner) reports: Rodney Stuckey, the No. 15 overall pick in last year’s draft, no longer is flying under the NBA’s radar. He’s drawn rave reviews and amplified attention for ably starting two games during the Magic series, taking over when Chauncey Billups was sidelined because of a strained hamstring. Stuckey has been coming off the bench during the Eastern Conference finals, averaging 11 points, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals over 20 minutes. For the playoffs, Stuckey is averaging 7.8 points, 3.4 assists and two rebounds in 21.8 minutes. He’s a very confident guy, but not to the point of obnoxious, youthful cockiness. Stuckey, 22, is sure he’s the man for the task at hand, and that he has the right guys backing him up.

May 23: Lakers 101, Spurs 71

The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs appear to be a tired, beaten-up team in trouble. Perhaps the fact that they just survived a similar predicament will give them hope. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, Lamar Odom added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers took command late in the second quarter to rout the Spurs 101-71 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals over the defending champions… Los Angeles had to rally from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to win the opener 89-85 Wednesday night, and didn’t take its first lead in that game until the final 3 minutes. The Lakers never trailed in Game 2—the third time in their last four playoff games that happened. After a basket by Duncan enabled the Spurs to forge the only tie, the Lakers scored the final nine points of the second quarter for a 46-37 halftime lead… It was 74-57 entering the fourth quarter, and the Lakers made it a blowout by outscoring the Spurs 14-3 to begin the final period and make it 88-60… Manu Ginobili, who had started San Antonio’s previous six postseason games, was used in a reserve role, as was the case most of the season when he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. It didn’t make any difference.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 54.9%, the Spurs just 34.5%. Both teams launched 20-something threes and shot badly from outside. The lakers hit 18-of-20 free throws, the Spurs had just 10 attempts and only hit 5. The Lakers had 8 more rebounds. Assists and turnovers were even.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (10-of-17) had 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Lamar Odom (7-of-10) had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jordan Farmar (5-of-7) had 14 off the bench. Derek Fisher (4-of-5) had 11. Pau Gasol (4-of-9) had 10 with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

For the Spurs, Tony Parker (just 6-of-15) had 13 points, no rebounds, and the same assists as turnovers. Tim Duncan (just 6-of-14, 0-of-4 free throws) had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists. No other Spurs even reached double-digit points. And other than Duncan no Spur had more than 5 rebounds. And the entire Spurs team had just one block (Duncan).

Richard Hamilton speaks after Game 2

In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Detroit Pistons won 103-07 on the road against the Boston Celtics. Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton took 16 shots for 25 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Here’s what he said after the game:

Question: Everybody is talking about how the Boston overloaded the strong side in the last game and managed to shut you guys down pretty well. How did you attack that defense tonight?

Richard Hamilton: Well, I thought that, you know, everybody knows what they do defensively, how they load up on the strong side. But I thought the thing that we did tonight that was different than Game 1, when we made cuts and we made moves, it was all in motion. It wasn’t just like a guy got the ball on the wing, allow them to set their defense, one guy on the corner, now they’re good at that. But we just kept motion, coming off screens, coming off curls, making them react. I thought the guys did an excellent job of moving the ball.

The full interview is here.

May 22: Pistons 103, Celtics 97

The AP reports: Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and the Pistons beat Boston 103-97 Thursday night, tying the conference finals at one game apiece and seizing the home-court advantage that has meant everything to the Celtics… Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost at home for the first time since March 24 against Phoenix. No team has reached the finals without a road victory, and there’s no longer a chance for Boston to be the first… Chauncey Billups had 19 points and seven assists, and his rookie backup, Rodney Stuckey hit some clutch jumpers in the fourth quarter and added 13 points for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Saturday… Paul Pierce scored 26 points for the Celtics, who had won 15 straight at home and gone 9-0 in the playoffs. But the only record that matters now is 0-6— their playoff road mark… Ray Allen broke out of a shooting slump with 25 points, his best performance in three months. But he was limited to 29 minutes by foul trouble, picking up his fifth foul with 3:09 left in the third quarter after his flurry had given Boston the lead.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: Both teams took almost the same number of shots, and shot within half a percent of 49%. The Pistons were better from three-point range, and while both teams shot around 88% free throws, the Pistons got to the line a bit more. Boston grabbed more rebounds, Detroit dished a few more assists.

For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton (7-of-16) had 25 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Chauncey Billups (5-of-10) had 19 points and 7 assists. Antonio McDyess (7-of-12) had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Tayshaun Prince (just 5-of-15) had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace (4-of-7) had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Stuckey (5-of-8) scored 13 off the bench.

For the Celtics, Paul Pierce (9-of-16) had 26 points and 5 assists, but 4 turnovers. Ray Allen (9-of-16) had 25 points and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett (11-of-19) had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. Rajon Rondo (just 2-of-9) had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. But no other Celtics had more than 4 points.

The Pistons had more of a total team effort.