Mavs-Heat '06 redux? Hardly, but Dirk vs. LBJ is fabulous theater

Mavericks vs. Heat is billed as a rematch of the 2006 Finals, when the Mavs choked away their best chance at a championship. Their best chance until now, that is. Only four players between both teams remain from that Dallas debacle, so these are both very different clubs.
Especially the Heat.
Dwyane Wade now has some help. Lots of it, in fact. More than any other superstar in the post-Michael Jordan era, it can be argued. But depending on how this series unfolds, LeBron James could very well face the biggest challenge of his career, a defining moment in his impressive drive to rebuild his image and remind us what an all-time talent he is: guarding Dirk Nowitzki. Crazy, right? A 6-foot-8 small forward asked to check the best shooting 7-footer in NBA history? Well, the Heat might have to get crazy to give themselves the best chance of winning this series and fulfilling their championship mandate.
James successfully clamped down on one of the most fearsome little men in the NBA in the Eastern Conference finals, transforming Derrick Rose from MVP into a fitful blur of sound, speed and fury signifying nothing more than one win in the series. James has guarded point guards before. He's also guarded shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and some centers. If called upon to defend Dirk, it would be a unique challenge -- one that perhaps James alone is equipped to even attempt among men of a certain size in the NBA.
So I've come up with five factors that will determine the outcome of the Finals, and this little matter of Dirk vs. LeBron is by far the most interesting and could well be the most important:
1: Who defends Dirk? Chris Bosh? He'll get the bulk of the possessions, but this isn't a viable strategy for the Heat in crunch time. Udonis Haslem? For short spurts, maybe. But the way I see it, the Heat's best hope of avoiding getting Nowitzki'd will be to send their best, all-purpose defender onto the floor in the fourth quarter and let him put his 6-8, 280-pound body and buzzsaw-like defensive abilities to the ultimate test. James is Miami's only defender with the strength to move Nowitzki away from the basket and prevent him from getting the ball in the Dirk Zone to begin with. After the catch, James is again Miami's only defender with the combination of length, lateral quickness, discipline and instincts to make Nowitzki work for his shots and take a few he'd rather not.
If James is called upon -- he must to be, in my view -- and is successful in knocking Dirk out of his comfort zone, it would be one of the greatest performances in Finals history. It would go right to the top of the list, right there with Magic Johnson playing center in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals against the 76ers. Yeah, that good.
But in this scenario, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra may have to tweak the closing lineup he finally was able to unveil late in the Bulls series and put Joel Anthony on the floor to contend with Tyson Chandler. He also might have to put a point guard on the floor to guard Jason Kidd (Mario Chalmers?), because if he puts Wade on Kidd, who defends Jason Terry? Wade should get that assignment, but then what about Shawn Marion? The Mavs' closing lineup presents matchup problems at multiple positions for Miami, whose league-high defensive efficiency in clutch situations in the playoffs (69 points allowed per 100 possessions) will be put to the ultimate test by the league's most efficient offense in clutch situations in the playoffs (148 points per 100 possessions).
2: Do the Mavs have enough quickness on the wings to contain LeBron and Wade?
Chandler will help. With Kendrick Perkins no longer patrolling the paint in Boston, Chandler will represent the most fearsome rim protector James and Wade have encountered in this playoff run. The rare moments when the Celtics and Bulls had success containing James and Wade came as a result of turning them into jump shooters. Sometimes, one of them would have the nerve to trump that strategy by making difficult shots from the perimeter. But against as complete a team as Dallas, this is not a viable strategy for Miami. If Chandler can stay out of foul trouble long enough to deter James and Wade from attacking the rim, the Mavs will be well on their way to taking control of this series.
3: Which Bosh shows up?
Bosh carried the Heat in Game 3 against the Bulls, and when he has it going, it can make guarding the LeBron-Wade-Bosh triumvirate demoralizing, if not impossible. Since both teams have played at a below-average pace during the postseason, these games will be about who can gain an advantage in the halfcourt. It'll be about how well Dallas can defend pick-and-rolls and isolation plays when LeBron or Wade has the ball on the wing. Nothing could be more frustrating than keeping LeBron or Wade away from the paint in those situations, only to have him dish to an open Bosh for a money 18-footer. Dallas, however, has a more versatile mix of defenders to throw at Bosh, who will find the ball in his hands at important moments again and again in this series.
4: Dallas has the better bench ... right?
Haslem suddenly is playing like the Haslem of '06 instead of the one who was 0-for-six months before asserting himself as a healthy, productive contributor midway through the Bulls series. Miller, who has dealt with injuries all season and had to tend to his ill newborn during the conference finals, played the way the Heat always anticipated he would in a productive Game 4 performance. But it remains to be seen whether the emergence of Haslem and Miller is an aberration or a trend; neither performed well in the series-clinching Game 5 victory in Chicago. The Mavs' second unit was a momentum-changer against the Lakers and Thunder, and it brings some interesting challenges for Spoelstra to consider. J.J. Barea's speed, penetration and peskiness; Jason Terry's creativity off the dribble and 3-point shooting; Brendan Haywood's size; and Peja Stojakovic's ability to serve as a release valve on the perimeter will put a lot of stress on Miami's defensive rotations. Haslem, Miller and Chalmers will be called upon to make a more consistent positive impact than they've provided thus far in the postseason.
5: Offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting -- the great equalizers.
The Heat's vulnerability on the glass was exposed by the Bulls, who simply didn't have enough other ways to score to make it count. Dallas is deceptively effective on the offensive glass; though the Mavs and Heat have both been below the league average in offensive rebounding rate in the playoffs, Dallas does a good job keeping possessions alive in key moments with tap-outs -- especially from Marion, who often is being boxed out by a smaller defender. Both teams emphasize getting stops and protecting the boards, which fuels their ability to get occasional, but important baskets in transition. Also worth noting: the Mavs are the third-best 3-point shooting team in the playoffs (.388), while the Heat are the third-worst 3-point defending team in the playoffs (.385). With every possession and every quality shot at a premium in the halfcourt, those two areas will be momentum-changers at important moments in this series.
It's a collision of two teams playing their best basketball at the perfect time. The Mavs are deep, playing cohesively and have an all-time player putting up playoff performances befitting his legendary imprint on the game.
The Heat have one of those, too. Though James isn't as far along in his career, he has risen to the expectations he accelerated by teaming with Wade last summer and putting the championship onus squarely on his shoulders. He has responded in ways even his harshest critics couldn't have imagined -- with other-worldly defense, devastating 3-point shooting and the mental chops to assert himself as Miami's closer against Boston and Chicago. At this point in James' championship mission, you pick against him at your peril. Which is what I do, taking the Mavericks in seven -- a nod to Dirk's brilliance, Kidd's experience, Dallas' overall depth and a stubborn belief that the NBA hasn't changed so much that a superteam can waltz through its first playoff run together and win a championship.
If basketball is still about matchups, the Mavs have the edge. If it's about star power, the Heat have outshined every opponent thus far and will do the same to the Mavs. The one thing we know for sure is, we will be entertained.

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Haslem key to Heat hopes - With emergence of Haslem, Heat improve odds of beating Bulls

CHICAGO -- No way was it going to happen again.
No way were Dwyane Wade and LeBron James going to be little more than decorative pieces in a second Miami Heat loss in two Eastern Conference finals games against the Chicago Bulls.

Udonis Haslem scored 12 points in the second half of Game 2, but it's his defense that's key for Miami. (Getty Images)

No way was Miami going to allow the Bulls to throw themselves a post-Oprah Winfrey celebration on the United Center stage.
No way.
So, on Wednesday evening -- the night after Chicago's iconic talk-show host's celebrity-laden farewell party in the same building -- the Heat recovered to even the best-of-7 series at a victory apiece.
The Heat now return to American Airlines Arena for the next two games, on Sunday and Tuesday nights, with an opportunity to seize control of a series that began miserably for them. What else would anyone call a 21-point loss, which was Miami's fourth to Chicago in four meetings going back through the regular season?
But if an NBA playoff series is about anything, it's about perspective.
And from Miami's perspective, the series has turned in its favor, at least temporarily, on the basis of the emergence of Udonis Haslem and its defense. If those two elements remain strong, it would seem the chances of the second-seeded Heat beating the top-seeded Bulls and moving onto the NBA Finals remain strong too.
And at the core of things for Miami stands the superstar tandem of Wade and James.
They combined for just 33 points in the Game 1 loss, making only 12 of 32 shots. Their numbers in Game 2 improved dramatically as they made 20 of 37 shots and scored 53 points.
Little wonder the Heat emerged with a 10-point win.
Here's the thing: Miami is a Big Three, including Chris Bosh, constructed with the notion that the sum of those parts more often than not is greater than the sum of the parts of any opposing team. And if significant assistance comes in any form -- a wonderful Wednesday night performance by Haslem, for example -- well, the Heat become all but unbeatable.
Haslem, who missed most of the regular season with a foot injury, not only filled the box score (13 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot), but also provided 23-plus minutes of inspiration.
"The player of the game," Wade called him.
True, and the Heat's near invincibility under such circumstances was evident despite Bosh scoring only 10 points.
Something else Haslem will do, if he continues to contribute big minutes, is unclutter Miami's mix-and-match rotation. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra might not have to go beyond Wade, James, Bosh, Haslem, Joel Anthony, Mike Bibby and either Mike Miller or James Jones, depending on what's required.
It has been quite some time since Miami exhibited such a clean look.
The Heat insist all the animosity they've dealt with this season after signing James and Bosh and re-signing Wade in formation of a supposed super core steeled those players for whatever comes next. At a point when Chicago could have put them in a 2-0 hole, they demonstrated more than a little moxie.
James and Wade were great, and got unexpected help from Haslem.
It's a recipe that's almost always going to be good enough for Miami to succeed, which may serve to heighten the resentments against it. But the Heat insist adversity makes them stronger.
They took a big step toward proving it by getting even against the Bulls, and the latest Miami perspective is that the Heat are more dangerous than they've looked in a very long time.

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Berger: Applauding Rose - Don't mistake reluctant Rose for a shrinking violet

In the early days of July, when the basketball world was consumed with the recruitment of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, one of the league's brightest young stars immersed himself in solitude. Far from the circus-like environment of pitch visits and badly orchestrated TV announcements, Derrick Rose retreated to the only place that gave him comfort.
"He was in the gym," said a personal friend of Rose, "working on his game."
At a time when Chicago native Wade and fellow Creative Artists Agency client Chris Bosh were huddled in their agent's office in the Windy City being wooed by Bulls executives, Rose was nowhere to be found. When Bulls officials went to Cleveland the next day to join in the biggest superstar suck-up in NBA history, pulling out all the stops in hopes that James would say "I do," Rose did not inject his influence into the process.

Derrick Rose keeps putting in work as the Bulls try add another banner. (AP)

Some interpreted Rose's silence as a deafening repudiation of James and Wade, as a sign that he somehow wouldn't welcome the superstars to share the stage in his native Chicago. It isn't clear how James and Wade interpreted Rose's lack of engagement. But one thing is clear: Rose's priorities were in the right place. He was working on getting better, respecting the hierarchy of the team and letting the people who get paid to make personnel decisions do their jobs.
"Obviously, no NBA player is going to go beg someone to come play with him," said another person familiar with Rose's approach. "He was fine with LeBron, Wade or Bosh on his team, and he's fine with Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. He goes about his business the same way regardless of who's on his team."
In addition to his electrifying talent, precocious leadership and the MVP trophy secured in only his third season in the NBA, these traits are what make Rose one of the anti-stars in the modern-day, buddy-up culture of pro basketball. At a time when his elders were conspiring to change the landscape of the sport, when CAA already was plotting the next wave led by Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, Rose was where he felt he belonged: in the gym, out of the spotlight and in his proper place in the pecking order.
"Don't let me be one of these guys trying to tell people what we need," Rose told a confidant last summer. "Let's figure out who we are first. Let's control the things we can control."
As the Bulls face the Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday in Chicago, it's easy to project onto Rose what a player of his stature should've done back in July. But that would be ignoring the obvious. Rose's talent and star power might have him in the same exclusive neighborhood as the Miami duo, but in his mind, the elevator carrying Rose to the top hadn't reached the penthouse yet.
"He's not pretending to know what this league is about," Rose's close friend said. "He's not pretending to know what [supporting talent] he needs. How arrogant would that be for him to even do something of that nature? He never won a playoff series until this year. He's a young kid and a good kid, and he doesn't know those things. You have to know what you don't know."
When James and Wade were re-aligning the basketball solar system last summer, they had both played seven seasons with the same organization and were setting the table for the next phase in their careers. Amar'e Stoudemire, the first big free agent to jump when he signed a five-year, $99 million deal with the Knicks, was at a similar point -- and immediately began using the clout and status he had earned as a perennial All-Star to put the full-court press on LeBron and Wade to join him with the Knicks.
Rose was only 21, two years into his NBA career. The idea of wooing LeBron and Wade "was never discussed" last summer, his friend said.
"What are we trying to project on him? Let's not forget, this is a 22-year-old kid. He's supposed to be a senior in college."
"I'm a player," Rose told the confidant last summer. "You do your job and contribute and you trust the other guy to do what he contributes."
Including the people who were making the trip to Cleveland to court LeBron, including co-executives of the year: GM Gar Forman of the Bulls and president Pat Riley of the Heat.
"Those people get paid lots of money to do that," Rose said, according to his confidant. "Give those people the respect."
Rose's reluctance to recruit James and Wade didn't speak to his opinion about playing with either. It spoke to his recognition that it wasn't his job to partake of the kind of basketball nation-building that was unfolding all around him.
"If LeBron wanted to come, I think Derrick was fine with it," said a third person familiar with Rose's thinking. "And I think Derrick was fine if he didn't want to come."
The assumption that Rose would've jumped into the free-agent fray with public statements, secret meetings or a barrage of text messages if he really wanted to attract one of the top 2010 free agents was flawed from the beginning. Rose only stepped in when his silence was spun as reluctance to team up with James, whose immaturity with the whole process belied his more seasoned status in the league.
Rose's lone foray into the world of free-agent recruitment was a single text message to James, sent more to clear the air than to woo the Cleveland star. As revealed in a Sports Illustrated profile in March, Rose succumbed and texted James in his typically understated way to shoot down speculation that he didn't want him in Chicago.
"I'm just hitting you up to kill all the rumors that I don't want to play with you," Rose wrote. "I'd like to play with you. I just want to win."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but that's Rose. That's a basketball talent who in less than a year would become the youngest MVP in league history -- in large part, because he was more obsessed with improving his game last summer than sucking up to free agents. He was more interested in bonding with the teammates he had than importing new ones.
"The kid says it every time he does an interview, and no one seems to have figured it out," Rose's friend said. "He just wants to win."
Maybe after seven or eight years in the league, Rose will change. Maybe he'll be more opinionated or forceful about exerting his star status than he is now, in the infant stages of greatness. But until then, he'll go to battle against Miami's free-agent super trio with Boozer and Deng, Noah and Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer. He'll execute Tom Thibodeau's game plan, say, "My bad," when he messes up and let his talent and the work he put in last summer speak for itself.
"He won in high school, he won in college, and he's winning on the NBA level," one of the people who knows him said. "That's just the way he goes about his business."
Even if he has a different view of business than his contemporaries, and would rather mind his own.

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Preview: Grizzlies-Thunder, Game 7 - Playoff Fix: Thunder, Grizzlies tangle in Game 7

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies face off in the first Game 7 of the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs. Posted by Ben Golliver.



One Big Thing: More than any other series, the Thunder-Grizzlies one has been about giant swings in momentum, emotion and energy. After an exhausting triple overtime in Game 4, the Thunder ran the Grizzlies out of the building in Game 5. In Game 6, the Thunder collapsed after halftime, looking out-of-sync and lethargic as the Grizzlies put the hammer down. Game 7, then, is simply about who has more left in the tank. With home-court advantage and an edge in overall talent, that should be the Thunder.

The X-Factor: Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the league's best and most consistent scorer, sure picked a bad night to have his worst performance of the season. His season-low 11 points in Game 6 was troubling because he appeared openly frustrated -- both by the aggressive Memphis defense he's been facing and with teammate Russell Westbrook's decision-making.

Durant was sensational in closing out the Denver Nuggets in the first round, and an approximation of that performance should be enough to send the Thunder through to the Western Conference finals. If he no-shows again, though, Oklahoma City will find itself in a situation where Westbrook feels like he has to carry the entire burden. That's never a good thing. There are no excuses in a Game 7. Coexisting with Westbrook, the harassing defense and fatigue must become non-factors. Durant is staring at a legacy-impacting game and he needs to step up.

The Adjustment: Before Game 6, I noted that Memphis needed to get back to what it does best: force-feeding Zach Randolph. It was better for the Grizzlies to go down doing what they do well than to go down doing what they do poorly. The flip is now true for Oklahoma City. If they're going to get eliminated from these playoffs, they need to force someone (anyone!) besides Randolph to send them packing.

Oklahoma City must double Zach Randolph early and often. It doesn't have to occur on every touch but it needs to happen a lot more than it did in Game 6, when Randolph went off for 30 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes. Yes, Nick Collison and company have done an excellent job handling Randolph in this series and they've gone above and beyond in doing their best to neutralize him on the glass. But Memphis simply lacks the floor-spacers to make the Thunder pay for over-committing to Randolph. If nothing else, daring Mike Conley to shoot at every turn would be a significantly better strategy than letting Randolph work one-on-one. Conley has shot just 9-for-40 in the last three games combined, including just 3-12 from downtown.

The Sticking Point: Westbrook has become a lightning rod for criticism in this series thanks to his shot-jacking (17.8 field goal attempts per game), his turnovers (3.7 per game) and the Thunder's stagnation during critical late-game stretches that has produced a lot of one-on-one play from Westbrook and a lot of standing around from Durant. In the big picture, that Westbrook has already accomplished so much so early in his career is remarkable.

But this is not the time for Westbrook's supporters to be preaching patience, lest an opportunity be lost. Despite their youth, Oklahoma City is just five wins away from the NBA Finals and, when they're clicking on offense, they have the potential to be a legit title contender right now. Game 7 should be a good window into whether Westbrook and company are happy with what they've accomplished or are motivated enough to make some adjustments (better ball movement late in games, better shot selection, a bit more care with the ball when things break down in the halfcourt) so that they can move on to the next step.

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Berger: Rondo's the man - Rondo's unflinching courage gives Boston edge it needs to win

BOSTON -- You didn't have to hear Rajon Rondo say anything as he lay on the TD Garden floor Saturday night, writhing in pain from a gruesome arm injury. You didn't need a doctor or surgeon to understand how bad this was, how Rondo -- the heart and soul of the Celtics and fulcrum of this series -- was in all likelihood leaving the court for the last time this season.
If you caught a glimpse of his face, though, if you looked into his eyes, you saw something different.
"I saw a guy who wasn't gonna lose this fight," Delonte West was saying in the Celtics' locker room, after Boston climbed back into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 97-81 victory over the Heat. Miami leads the best-of-7 series 2-1, with Game 4 Monday night in Boston.
The Celtics hit first in Game 3, hit the Heat with the kind of force they had absorbed in the first two games in Miami. Midway through the third, Boston was building a double-digit lead with offensive precision spawned by connected, determined defense. Kevin Garnett was brutalizing Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce was finding his spots and hitting his shots, and Rondo was generating all of it. He was the engine again for the Celtics, their best chance of derailing the runaway train alternately piloted by Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in Games 1 and 2.
It was Rondo who had his shot blocked by James, got the ball back in traffic, and found Pierce at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 58-50 lead with 7:50 left in the third. Then a steal by Pierce set up a hook shot by Garnett for a 10-point lead, right before the moment when this series changed irretrievably.
With Rondo defending Wade and resourcefully knocking the ball away for Miami's 10th turnover, the 220-pound Wade started going down and grabbed the 170-pound Rondo -- bringing him crashing to the floor with him. You've seen what happened next -- the video replay, the grotesque still image of Rondo's left elbow bent backwards, the knobby joint protruding so much it stretched his skin.
"We thought that was the last we were gonna see of Rondo for the rest of the year," said West, who had to shake off an earlier rotator cuff injury that coach Doc Rivers said is "worse than you think" and replace Rondo -– replace the beating heart of the Celtics.
"I knew right away something was wrong," Rondo said in the interview room. "Thank God for Kevin, because I was having trouble breathing. I just heard him telling me, 'Breathe.'"
"I was just trying to get him to relax," Garnett said. "When you see one of your brothers go down, it's never a good feeling. That's someone's father, someone's brother, someone's son on the floor hurt."

Writhing in pain, Kevin Garnett keeps telling Rajon Rondo to 'breathe.' (Getty Images)

The stunned crowd in the Garden couldn't have known how bad it was. Garnett helped carry Rondo off the court, back to the locker room. The next stop, it seemed, would be an ambulance for a trip to the hospital. As for what happened in the Celtics' locker room, Rondo said later, "I really can't say." But soon word came from the Celtics that Rondo's dislocated elbow had been "popped back in." And something else: Rondo wanted to play.
"My adrenaline was too high," Rondo said. "I fed off the crowd's energy. I just wanted to play."
He returned to the bench late in the third, wincing and trying to stretch out that arm. Meanwhile, the Celtics hadn't imploded in his absence; they'd maintained the 10-point lead Rondo had left for them, and even built it to 14 until Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer at the end of the quarter made it 72-61 Boston.
Then Rondo came back into the game. Rivers, walking toward the locker room after his press conference, admitted, "I was worried." He was worried about his point guard trying to play with one arm dangling at his side, dribbling one-handed and throwing one-handed bounce passes and diving on the floor and taking charges. And he was worried about something else: Retaliation.
"Kevin was furious," Rivers said in the hallway outside the Celtics' locker room. "He just didn't like what happened."
It was Rivers who'd angered the Heat stars by calling their play "chippy" after Game 1, and the tenor of the game changed for the worse after Rondo went out. Ray Allen absorbed contact that wasn't called on a missed layup, and at the other end went down after a hard collision with Wade. Nerves were on edge, and the Celtics' season -- their legacy, and everything that went along with it -- was on the line.
"I just kept saying, 'Guys, we've just got to play. Nothing,'" Rivers said. "You know, they wanted to because they didn't like what happened. Even late in the game, I called them together and said, 'Hey, nothing. Do it with your play.' Because with the injuries we have, we couldn't afford somebody getting thrown out. Then it's over for us."
With their nemesis, the Lakers, facing playoff elimination out West, the Celtics refused to die Saturday night. Garnett made sure of it with a game straight out of 1996 -- 28 points and 18 rebounds -- and Pierce made sure of it with 27 points, including 5-for-7 shooting beyond the 3-point arc. The Celtics' revitalized defense held Wade to 23 points and James to 15, while the Heat -- now 0-11 in Boston since 2007 -- shot 43 percent from the field.
"That was a championship-caliber response," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We're trying to take down a champion, and it will be the toughest thing that we will have to do."
With the guard changing in the NBA before our very eyes, with the young coming with a vengeance to take out the old, Rondo stared into the eyes of that beast Saturday night and would not come out of the fight. His age says he's part of the new generation, but he forever cemented himself Saturday night with the old guard, with a different brand of toughness from another era.
"I've seen him play through some horrific injuries," Garnett said. "And we're all like, 'What is he doing out there?' And, 'Is he being smart right now?' When he came back out, I was like, 'Typical Rondo.'"
His left arm dangling at his side, Rondo put on one of the toughest performances you will ever see -– the signature moment of these playoffs, a snapshot of his growing résumé that had people in the hallways of the Garden whispering about where this ranked among the great Celtics playoff moments. At one point, he dove on the floor for a loose ball, then later raced toward the Celtics' basket and almost leaped into the row of cameras. He stepped in and tried to take a charge from Wade -- it was called a block -- and slithered around Bosh to tap the ball away with his left arm, the one that didn't work, and cruised in for a right-handed layup that gave the Celtics an 81-63 lead with 8:31 left.
"I felt like I could change the game by getting to the ball defensively," Rondo said. "And I only needed my legs for that."
His legs and his heart and his status as the leader of these Celtics, a fact never to be disputed again.
"Shorty is a really tough, young individual," Garnett said. "I don't know what he's going to be like when he's 35, but right now he's playing through a lot."
When it was all over -- the impromptu triage work on Rondo's elbow, the inspirational performance and the press conference -- Rondo walked down the long hallway past the locker rooms with his family. He slumped over in an embrace and lumbered forward, toward the exits.
As he turned the corner, Rondo didn't notice Bosh standing behind a support beam talking with his girlfriend, Adrienne Nicole Williams. Bosh was 1 for 6 with six points in 31 minutes, and Spoelstra revealed afterward that he had a "slightly pinched nerve in his neck."
When Rondo emerged, Bosh's eyes went straight to him, and stayed with him as he walked slowly out of the building. Penny for his thoughts, in that moment. The Celtics' point guard, their heart and soul, trudged out the door, holding hands with his young daughter.
Right-handed, of course.
extracted from cbssports.com

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Hawks even series 2-2 Atlanta's success comes down to two words: Energy and effort

ATLANTA -- The fans at Philips Arena are very good at three-letter chants. But the one heard Sunday night sounded a lot better to the home team.
As the waning seconds ticked down in Atlanta's 100-88 win over Chicago in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the fans yelled, "ATL, ATL, ATL." That was in stark contrast to Friday's Game 3, when they went "MVP, MVP, MVP" in homage to recently honored Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
"That's good to hear," said Hawks guard Jamal Crawford. "We pay attention to that. I understand Rose is a great player so he has his fans. But if we come out with energy and effort, I think our fans will support us."
Energy and effort were hard to find in a 99-82 home loss in Game 3 to the Bulls, which started with Atlanta coach Larry Drew calling timeout 49 seconds into the game. But it was back Sunday as the Hawks were able to tie the series 2-2.
"That's the million-dollar question there," Drew said of why there was such a difference.
Well, here's one reason. For years, Drew, who previously was a Hawks assistant, has been trying to get Atlanta's Josh Smith not to settle for so many jumpers and to attack the basket.
If one thought a lineup change on Sunday, with Smith moved from power to small forward, might result in Smith hoisting even more jumpers, guess again. He attacked the basket with regularity, totaling 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.
"I just stayed aggressive," said Smith, who switched positions due to Jason Collins being inserted at center, Al Horford moving from center to power forward and Marvin Williams going from small forward to the bench. "I saw some cracks in the defense and I did a good job at not settling."
You'd think it would be easy for Smith to realize he can be a terror when he attacks the basket regularly. But he's still trying to figure it out as a seven-year veteran.
It also has been hard for the Hawks to figure out a way to slow down Rose, who scored a career-high 44 points Friday. But they were able to do that Sunday.
That also was a result of the Hawks coming out with great energy. They threw bodies at Rose all night to stop his penetration, and it worked. Even though he scored a game-high 34 points, he shot just 12-of-32.
"It was a tough game, but we'll make no excuses," Rose said. "If they double team in the next game, we'll just have to do a better job of executing."
Judging from what happened Friday, it looked as if the Bulls would be in position in that next game, which is Tuesday in Chicago, to close out the series. But that was before the Hawks, who always seem to be pogo-stick like when it comes to intensity, came out fired up.
"We played like a desperate team," Drew said.

After being moved to SF, Josh Smith (right) comes alive and posts 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. (US Presswire)

Especially down the stretch. The Hawks closed the game with a 16-4 run after the score had been tied 84-84 with just more than four minutes remaining.
Rose had two turnovers during that period. One came after an inadvertent whistle had resulted in a jump ball when Rose was being closely guarded by Crawford while shooting a 3-pointer with 2:27 left and the Bulls trailing 90-84.
"I blew my whistle and I didn't mean to," official Bennett Salvatore said of the play in which the Hawks won the jump ball. "I didn't think it was a foul. Having watched the replay after the game, it was a foul and I should have called it. I made a mistake."
The Bulls made plenty of those themselves during a fourth quarter in which they committed six turnovers. That was helped by the Hawks being aggressive two days after Friday's siesta of a game.
Smith had 11 points and five rebounds in the fourth quarter. All four of his buckets came on inside shots.
"When you have the ability to drive like that, don't make it easier on anybody," Crawford said of Smith's tendency to settle.
"He was All-Star caliber. When he's playing like that, it's almost impossible for a team to beat us," said guard Joe Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points.
The problem is Smith doesn't always play like that. He entered the game averaging just 12.7 points in the series and 13.8 for the playoffs, well below his regular-season average of 16.5.
Smith, a native of the Atlanta area, heard boos Friday.
"The media is trying to T.O. me," said Smith, in what later was called by a Hawks publicist a reference to Terrell Owens (not as if that cleared up a lot). "If you all want to blame it all on me for losing Game 3, it's cool. I'll take it. I'm a man."
When the buzzer sounded, though, there were no boos heard. Smith pushed his shirt out and pointed to "Hawks" on the front.
The fans, meanwhile, were busy chanting "ATL, ATL, ATL." They could have chanted "MVP, MVP, MVP" at Smith for the way he played Sunday, but that would have been way too confusing.

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Lakers' embarrassing loss ends Jackson's career on low note

DALLAS -- When the end came, the two-time defending champions looked like an aging boxer --confused, flailing and beaten.
And it was only the second quarter.
It would get worse.
The Los Angeles Lakers will look back at the last game of their championship reign and Phil Jackson's superlative coaching career and feel nothing but shame. If a close-out game of a playoff series is a gut-check, the Lakers registered empty. If responding to adversity is a reflection of the heart of a champion, the Lakers came up diminutive.
Fourteen minutes into the game, they trailed by five points. Less than four minutes after that, they trailed by 18. During a stretch of 2:57 in the second period, the Lakers were so inept that Jackson called two full timeouts and a 20. He might as well have thrown a white towel on the court and surrendered. It certainly looked like his team did. The Lakers were so far gone it was not even worth punching one of them.
The Lakers abdicated their NBA throne in a shockingly docile manner Sunday afternoon, succumbing to a Mavericks team that shredded every part of LA's game in a 122-86 blowout. Dallas swept the champs in four games and now awaits the winner of the Oklahoma City-Memphis series to determine who represents the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
"I don't think we played bad to start the game," Jackson said. "But in that second quarter, the roof fell in on us."
The Lakers were outscored 36-16 in the second period. They never seriously challenged after that. They were never closer than 19 in the third quarter and the 36-point margin of victory was the largest of the game.
In the last three years, the Lakers haven't lost often. They won nine consecutive playoffs series before Sunday. Their last loss was in the 2008 Finals in Boston, where they lost Game 6, the decisive game of the series, by 39.
When they lose, they leave no doubt.
"I think it will be more entertaining for everybody else to discuss us getting swept or the way we lost," guard Derek Fisher said. "But this doesn't feel any worse than just losing. Last time we lost our last game was 2008 in Boston and that was the sixth game [of the Finals]. It didn't feel better than this one and this one doesn't feel worse. They all felt the same way."
By the time the game ended, the Lakers had lost more than a series, however. They lost much of their class. During a 52-second stretch in the fourth quarter, Lamar Odom was ejected for bumping Dirk Nowitzki to the floor and Andrew Bynum was ejected for hitting Dallas guard J.J. Barea in mid-air on a drive to the basket. Barea crashed to the floor and was down for several minutes but eventually got up and continued playing.
"I wasn't happy with the way our players exited the game on Lamar's part and Andrew's part," Jackson said. "It was unnecessary, but I know they were frustrated."

After being swept, Phil Jackson said 'this is my final game as coach.' (Getty Images)

Perhaps the players were swayed by the reputation of a soft Mavericks team. But they chose a strange time to assert their manhood with the Lakers' deficit hovering in the 30-point range.
"I think it was more we were getting embarrassed," Bynum said. "They were breaking us down so I just fouled somebody."
Kobe Bryant had said after practice Saturday that he expected the Lakers to open the game strong and he led with his actions. He had 13 points in the first period and although the Lakers were down by four at the end of the quarter, they were competitive.
But the Mavericks defense may be the most improved in the league and it at its best the last three quarters. Bryant had only four points after the first period and ended the game with 17 on a 7-of-18 shooting performance.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks disassembled a once-proud Lakers defense in a most thorough manner. Dallas has some of the best long-range shooters in the league and they were all at their best on Sunday.
Consider Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic. They were a combined 15-of-16. .. from 3-point range. The Mavericks attempted 32 3-point shots and tied an NBA record by making 20. Their 62.5 percent in 3-point shooting was better than what they made from two-point range, where they were 24-of-41 for 58.5 percent. Combined, they were 60.3 percent from the field.
"At the start of the game I thought we were all right," Bryant said. "But they jumped out on us in the second quarter and just made three after three after three. And we could never get back in it."
Terry was 11-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 in 3-pointers and led Dallas with 32 points. Barea, who relentlessly attacked the basket, had 22 and Stojakovic had 21 as the Mavericks demonstrated their superior depth. Those were the three leading scorers and the Mavericks were so good that they needed only 17 points from Nowitzki on Sunday.
Again, the Lakers reserves were outplayed as they were outscored by the Dallas bench 71-28.
As always, Jackson was coy after the game when discussing retirement. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said he was dubious that Jackson would stay retired and said in a joking manner that Jackson would get bored.
"My belief is that he'll retire for a while," Carlisle said, "but I don't know how long you can go to Montana and meditate and smoke peyote, or whatever he does there. He's going to get bored, and I mean that in an endearing manner."
When that comment was relayed to Jackson, he said corrected Carlisle by saying, "First of all, you don't smoke peyote."
But later, Jackson said, "There's a point when you feel like there's a group of young people that are coming this direction -- young coaches that are coming up. They deserve their chance and I've had a great opportunity and a 20-year run here with coaching teams."
It seemed fitting that the day of Jackson's last game, the NBA announced that he had been fined $35,000 for comments he made about officiating on Saturday. But, as usual, he had the last word.
"I go out with a sour note after being fined $35,000 this morning by the league," he said. "So that's not fun, having a feeling like I've been chased down the freeway by them. But as Richard Nixon said, 'You won't be able to kick this guy around anymore.'"
On Sunday the Mavericks chased the Lakers down the freeway and Phil Jackson and his 11 championships out of the game. His memory of his final game, however, will be how he got kicked around by his own team.

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Celtics-Heat Game 1 preview - Playoff Fix: No room to breathe with Heat-Celtics

One Big Thing: Does anyone else get the sense that Game 1 is really, really important in this series? Either way, a tone is getting set. Either the Heat make a statement that things have changed and they're ready for the Celtics or Boston makes one saying it's more of the status quo.

Heck, package it in even tighter than that. The first six minutes of this game could say a whole lot about it. There's going to be a real mental aspect to this series and every little play is going to feel extremely large. I still haven't wrapped my head around this just being the Eastern Conference Semifinals yet.

The X-Factor: It's Rajon Rondo. There's absolutely no doubt about it. Miami has no one to guard him and with him getting his feel and command back against the Knicks, Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra likely haven't slept the last 72 hours. The good Rondo changes every little thing about this series. If he's keyed in, breaking down the Miami defense and distributing, it's hard to see how the Heat can guard Boston for 48 minutes.

The Adjustment: Would Spoelstra dare get creative with his matchups? Mario Chalmers was good in Game 5 for the Heat, but could we see a lot of Dwyane Wade on Rondo? Of course now you've got to account for Ray Allen, but I get the feeling Mike Bibby and Chalmers have a better chance chasing Allen off screens than they do slowing Rondo off the dribble.

The Sticking Point: The season series tilted 3-1 in Boston's favor with the one Miami win coming when Rondo was in his post-Perk funk and the Celtics slipping a bit as a team. Hard to really take too much from that. Except maybe that the Heat built some confidence. I mean, remember at All-Star Weekend when James Jones beat Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the 3-point contest and said, "We finally beat you guys in something. " To that point, the Celtics were in their heads. Maybe just that simple regular season win has removed some of that doubt.

The Celtics conceded home court in this series with a poor finish. Not that Miami has a great advantage there (Fan Up, amirite?) but still, it's called "advantage" for a reason. Starting at home fresh off that win could be a big thing for the Heat. And with this first game, the first six minutes, heck the first possession being big, that could be the edge the Heat need to get started right.

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Road to the Finals: Lakers - Road to the Finals: Lakers

Can the Los Angeles Lakers survive the Western Conference for their chance at a three-peat? Posted by Ben Golliver.



The last thing that the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans are thinking about on Monday is the NBA Finals. The team has lost five straight for the first time in years, getting outrun by the slowest team in the NBA (the Portland Trail Blazers) on Friday night and out-executed down the stretch by a bunch of youngsters (the Oklahoma City Thunder) on Sunday. It’s never panic time when you’re the most talented and most tested team in the NBA, but things feel a lot different in mid-April than they did as recently as March, when the Lakers looked unbeatable, running off nine straight wins and briefly making a push for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.

To his credit, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is saying all the right things, calling out his players’ professionalism in Portland, saying that any talk of the Finals is “ludicrous” and stating very simply according to ESPNLA.com : “We're not concerned with anything in the Eastern Conference at all. Nothing.” Jackson didn’t win any of his 11 NBA titles as a coach by looking ahead, and he certainly isn’t going to jeopardize his run at a fourth three-peat by allowing his players to skip a step.

While it’s Jackson’s job to keep the focus tight, it’s our job to break out the wide angle lens. And the panoramic view of the Western Conference still looks much like it has for the three seasons: It’s the Lakers, and then everybody else. Whether you prefer a more subjective approach or a numbers-based outlook, the Lakers make dominant arguments.
LA sports the league’s fiercest competitor, Kobe Bryant, who at 32 years old is still cranking out 25 points per game and maintaining his 45% percent or better shooting percentage for the sixth straight season. He’s the best one-on-one offensive player in the Western Conference and he lives for the moment. His resume says it all: five rings, two Finals MVPs, countless game-winners. The Lakers’ story starts and ends with his ability to impose his will on both ends of the court, extract maximum effort from his teammates and make the key plays down the stretch.
Inside, the Lakers have the best trio of bigs in the game: Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Each has his weaknesses: Bynum is slow in transition, Gasol gets knocked for being soft and floating and Odom has dealt with questions about his consistency and focus for years. But together they are an overwhelming force, particularly when L.A.’s ball movement is humming. Gasol, who averaged 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds, is a multi-dimensional threat, a skilled, fluid, long big man who is a nightmare match-up for all of the other top Western Conference teams. Bynum fills the space-eating and finish-at-the-rim roles well, while Odom can attack off the dribble, make effort plays defensively and gives L.A. some versatility in defending combo forwards.
The Bryant, Gasol, Bynum, Odom core is supplemented by Ron Artest – a physical wing who excels at playoff head games and making stars uncomfortable – and veteran guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake – a heady, tested floor general and a knockdown shooter. Toss in Shannon Brown for some backcourt athleticism off the bench and Matt Barnes for more bullying hijinks and that’s the squad.

This group is the West’s favorite because they can beat you in every way. The Lakers are the No. 7 offense in the league through Sunday, a number that’s a little misleading because they’ve slipped a bit during this recent slide. Make no mistake: they can carve you up or pound it down your throat on any given night. Defensively, the Lakers are No. 6 in the league and currently rank as the Western Conference’s top unit. They excel at controlling the backboards – the No. 4 overall rebounding team – and protecting the basketball – the No. 2 team in terms of limiting turnovers. Despite all the harping on Bryant for breaking out of the team’s offense and doing his own thing, the Lakers are even a top 10 team when it comes to assist rate, a measure of what percentage of a team’s baskets come via assist. To boil it down: other than staying motivated late in the season, the Lakers simply don’t have a true weakness.
For this reason, they are the nightmare match-up for each of the West’s other contenders.
If the playoffs were to start today, the Lakers would have their dream first round match-up: they would be the No. 2 seed facing the No. 7 seed New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets have had a great run under first year coach Monty Williams, but they’ve essentially played .500 basketball over the last few months and lost starting power forward and go-to inside option David West. To make matters worse, franchise point guard Chris Paul is dealing with knee issues, as he had fluid drained last week and failed to score against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, the first time that’s happened during his NBA career. If that series goes five games, consider New Orleans lucky.
The Lakers are most likely to face the Dallas Mavericks, another team that’s stumbled in recent weeks, in the second round. Any way you slice that one, and regardless of who has home court advantage, the match-ups come up in LA’s favor. The Lakers have plenty of guys to harass Dirk Nowitzki, while Bryant is fully capable of making life miserable for any of Dallas’s perimeter defenders. The only tough cover for LA is Jason Terry, but that’s a secondary concern. A recent Lakers blowout of the Mavericks, in which Dallas lost its cool, felt like a fairly accurate playoff preview. This series wouldn’t be a landslide, but the Lakers are simply too skilled, top-to-bottom, to trip up.

Things get more interesting, though, when we get to the Western Conference Finals discussion.
Against the Spurs, the Lakers clearly have an overwhelming frontcourt advantage, with Tim Duncan unable to compete single-handedly with LA’s trees. His colleagues either too small or too old to provide an adequate counterbalance to the Gasol/Bynum/Odom triad. San Antonio will turn to its new-look, super-efficient offense to make up for their lack of size, but it’s unclear whether they will be able to consistently generate the pace necessary to make it work. The Spurs will also be seriously out-manned by the size, length and strength of LA’s wings with no good match-up for Lamar Odom. As long as Tony Parker doesn’t completely dissect LA’s perimeter defense, LA should be able to survive what is always a serious test.
The most intriguing Western Conference Finals match-ups, though, would come if either the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets are able to slip through that side of the bracket. As the Thunder showed on Sunday, they’re not afraid of the Lakers and they are talented enough and boast enough star power, in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, to make life really, really difficult for anyone they face, including the defending champions. In Denver, it’s a new-model approach to success in the NBA: a star-free, all-quality rotation that never lets up and executes extremely well. Both the Thunder and the Nuggets are riding high coming into the playoffs – both are 8-2 in their last 10 – and both are very well coached teams that play very well at home.  

But even with the Thunder and the Nuggets, the arguments for the Lakers advancing are easier to make than the arguments against. This group of Lakers has beaten a super-efficient offense: the 2009 Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. This group of Lakers has beaten a hard-working, team-centric group with great balance: the 2010 Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. This group of Lakers beat the Thunder last year and beat a good approximation of the Nuggets when they downed the high-octane, hard-charging Phoenix Suns in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
LA has everything you need to be a true contender: good health at the moment, experience, top-end talent, solid coaching, a go-to scoring option a recent track record of success against their biggest threats and, of course, the rings. The Lakers certainly can’t take anything for granted, not with the quality of competition in the West this season, but they take our title as “Finals Favorite” with ease. 

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Berger: Cuban's hypocrisy - Cuban's proposed media 'takeover' wrong on many levels

When Mark Cuban drew swift and negative reaction with plans to re-evaluate media access to the Dallas Mavericks, it came as no surprise the billionaire owner refused to back down. Nor did it serve as a revelation that Cuban further stoked the debate with the kind of sensationalism and headline-mongering he criticized in the first place.
Cuban comparing online media to heroin addicts in a CNN interview Sunday tells you everything you need to know about his motive, which is not to further the noble pursuits of journalism, the Fourth Estate, but rather to turn media coverage of the Mavericks into an in-house, pom-pom-waving exercise and grab all the market share and page views for himself.

Mark Cuban said giving internet reporters locker-room access is akin to supplying a heroin junkie with a needle. (AP)

But the motive isn't the scary part. What should have all fans concerned about this effort to create "state"-run sports media coverage is that Cuban actually appears to be serious. And he doesn't want to be the lone wolf; he wants to be the leader in a movement that could change, for the worse, the kind of information fans get about their teams.
Under questioning from Howard Kurtz, Washington bureau chief of The Daily Beast, former Washington Post media columnist and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," Cuban admitted Sunday he's absolutely serious about his plans to muscle independent, online reporters out of his locker room.
"I wouldn't call it muscling," Cuban said. "I think that's a little pejorative. But I'm certainly evaluating what the alternatives are, like any good business would."
But Cuban's plans go beyond that. In an email exchange after the interview aired, Cuban hinted he intends to take his vision to the other 29 NBA owners in an effort to "lead the way by example and try to set an example of best practices for my partners. It's up to them to agree or disagree."
Knowing sports teams the way I do, Cuban will be preaching to the choir. Why would owners of NBA teams, or any professional teams, want pesky, neutral, unbiased reporters scrutinizing their every move when they could have their own hand-picked homers instead?
"All those tools that other people use to create commentary and opinion, I have access to those tools as well," Cuban said. "But I have the additional benefit of having deeper access to the information because it's my company. Particularly now in this media environment, where there's so much turnover among reporters and journalists or headline mongers, however you want to define each individual person, I have great opportunities to go out and hire them as well."
There's so much wrong with this perspective, it's hard to know where to begin. Cuban's stance is more than an end-around to avoid fair media coverage of his team; a sort of, "If you can't beat 'em, hire and muzzle 'em" approach. It's more than a self-serving attempt to challenge legitimate news organizations' efforts to report news, earn profits, gain market share and create brand awareness on the sweat of his company.
It is more than delusional and dangerous. It's a direct affront to you, the sports fan, and an insult to anyone who pays the obscene prices you're paying to consume sports -- not to mention the cost incurred by those who don't consume sports or know a pick-and-roll from a double-reverse.
The most obvious flaw in Cuban's suggestion that he has the power to restrict access for independent, online media and replace them with his own reporters is, quite simply, that he does not have such power. Why? Because the Mavs, which he repeatedly referred to in the CNN interview as "my business," are not his business. Cuban is a willing partner in a cartel of 30 businesses known as the NBA, which enjoys, among other competitive advantages, partial exemption from U.S. antitrust law.
The Mavs would not exist without the NBA and Cuban's 29 partners, and wouldn't make much money without the federal exemption that allows NBA teams to pool television rights on network TV without antitrust scrutiny. Cuban has agreed to abide by anti-free market rules like this and others, such as the salary cap and revenue sharing, to enjoy the many benefits of owning a professional sports team.
While sources tell CBSSports.com that the NBA has no plans to fine Cuban over his recent anti-media rants, there is no doubt his views on media access clash with the views of the league as a whole -- and with those of Cuban's longtime nemesis, commissioner David Stern. If Cuban wanted to play by different rules -- restricting media access, spending as much as he pleased on his team, serving as his own commissioner so he would never again be fined for bashing the referees -- then he would be welcome to secede from the NBA. I invite him to take the Hornets, Bobcats and Kings/Royals with him, form his own league, and put the games on his beloved HDNet, which nobody watches. This would solve many problems, including the restoration of competitive balance to a league that has too many teams. The savings from exporting underperforming teams to Cuban's irrelevant league might even avert a lockout -- which amounts to little more than another selfish attack on your sports consumption that Cuban fully supports, by the way.
Before Cuban's fellow owners embrace his in-house media plan as a brilliant idea, they should take a look at their bread to see where it's buttered. American Airlines Center, where the Mavs play, was partly financed by a public bond sale before Cuban bought the team. But what of the other NBA teams whose playpens have been financed by bond sales, various tax schemes and other government boondoggles? If you want to exempt yourself from public media scrutiny, have at it. Just pay back the taxpayers first and figure out how to fund your own businesses.
Cuban claims he isn't trying to eliminate negative coverage, but admitted that he's motivated by something even more sinister: the realization that the interests of his business and the independent media covering it are "not necessarily aligned," he said Sunday.
Welcome to the republic, Mark. The interests of the media and the subjects they cover, whether or not they receive some level of exemption from federal law or taxpayer money to do business, have never been aligned. Nor should they be. Cuban, brilliant businessman and professional jock sniffer, has unsurprisingly adopted the athlete credo here: that the media exist only to chronicle their successes and ignore their failings.
Would Cuban's in-house journalists be free to use what he described Sunday as unfiltered access to his business to report the bad with the good? Would sports teams covering themselves reveal the mysteries behind all those suspensions for violating "team rules," or the exact nature of matters that were being "handled internally?" Would the real reasons for a player's unexpected absence from a road trip be revealed, replacing the clever excuse known as "back spasms?"
If, heaven forbid, a Lakers fan were beaten on Mavericks property the way a Giants fan (Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old father of two) was put into a coma at Dodgers Stadium last week, how would his 'CNN' –- the Cuban News Network -- cover the story?
It shouldn't, wouldn't want to and couldn't possibly do so objectively. As Cuban himself would have to admit, the publishing of negative news would not be aligned with the best interests of his business. Which raises the question of whether sports teams really want to practice journalism in the first place. Be careful what you wish for.
Journalism is a challenging endeavor. When practiced correctly, it is done without so much as the appearance of a conflict of interest. Sometimes this is achieved, and sometimes it isn't. But a sports team employing journalists to scrutinize itself, to the exclusion of outside media, would be the very definition of such a conflict. The old adage, "consider the source," would be a daily impediment to achieving credibility with the audience Cuban thinks he can so easily hijack.
And lest we forget, sports leagues and teams already are in the business of reporting on themselves, publishing glass-half-full "news" accounts on their websites and communicating with fans and customers via Twitter, Facebook and a growing menu of other social media platforms. This is their right, of course; everyone is a journalist these days. But sports teams and leagues also have long been engaged in the practice of restricting independent media access, a self-serving activity that Cuban wants to shift into the next logical gear.
Locker-room access time for reporters has only diminished, and reporters' activities have been increasingly encumbered by a ubiquitous army of media relations employees who monitor their interviews, report the contents to their superiors and cut off questioning when the topics aren't to their liking. Reporters dutifully sit in news conferences, obeying orders from the P.R. man to "wait for the microphone," so the full audio of the event can be streamed uninterrupted to the team's web site. (The exception to this rule, and praise be to him that there is one, is T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times, who suffers no company lapdog easily and asks whatever he wants whenever he pleases, microphone and sensibilities be damned.)
The dwindling number of NFL teams that allow reporters to view practice routinely impose guidelines on what can and cannot be reported. The latest trend, carried out this season by at least one big-market pro sports team, is to punish columnists for unfavorable coverage by moving their seats to the upper deck. (Unofficial guidelines are to assign seats based on circulation size for newspaper reporters and readership metrics for online journalists, not personal vendettas.)
But the question of what Cuban is really after here falls under the oldest rule in sports and business: Follow the money. Cuban decries the modern online journalist as someone whose sole purpose is to pimp for headlines, page-views, and search-engine optimization. For one thing, striking the right balance between news the public wants and needs to know has always been part of the deal; news outlets merely have the technology to measure it now. Beyond that, methinks Cuban doth protest too much, since these are all potentially worthwhile activities that Cuban thinks he should be engaged in -- instead of ESPN.com, Yahoo.com, this website and others.
Cuban wants his share of the fun here, which should come as no surprise. He has an incredibly keen eye for upside. But in this case, he has failed to see the downside.
Though he at times has been unfairly cast as a lightning rod for criticism and depicted as a caricature by those who don't know him, I have tended to agree with him far more often than not. His complaints about NBA teams giving its players to FIBA for free, so they can make billions for the Olympics and broadcast networks, were dead on, for example. I've also enjoyed my frequent interactions with him, as Cuban is one of the public figures in sports who is never afraid to speak his mind or make himself available to whatever form of media coverage suits his quest for personal gain. But in this case, he's wrong. In this spasm of self-indulgence, Cuban has committed the rare blunder of completely misreading what his customer wants.
Sports fans don't just want the good news. They want all of it. When the Mavs struggle, or when a draft pick or trade doesn't pan out, they want an unfettered, clear-eyed account of why. Cuban is welcome to argue over whether that's journalism, but he does not have the right to decide who gets to practice it.
In our email exchange, Cuban insisted he has the best interests of journalism at heart. "Look at my track record," he wrote. But his recent track record of chasing disgraced funny man Charlie Sheen around to create a reality show for HDNet suggests exactly what you think it does: Cuban isn't above the very sensationalism he decries. He's an active participant who wants more of the action for himself.
So from one journalist to an aspiring one, I leave you with this, Mark: Before you try to have your cake and eat it too, beware the oldest trick in the book: the pie in the face. In this case, the joke's on you.

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Cavs 102, Heat 90 - James, Heat suffer shocking upset loss to Cavs

CLEVELAND -- As he left the arena, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott smiled and accepted fist bumps and congratulations from security guards lining the hallway.
"Coach," one of them said, "we're going to talk about this one all summer."
And probably for many more.

Eastern Conference
Seed	Team	GB
1	y-Chicago	-
2	y-Boston	2
3	x-Miami	2.5
4	x-Orlando	6.5
5	x-Atlanta	11.5
6	Philadelphia	15.5
7	New York	17.5
8	Indiana	21
9	Charlotte	22
10	Milwaukee	24
11	Detroit	27
Eliminated
12	New Jersey	30
13	Toronto	33
14	Washington	35
15	Cleveland	38

Cleveland got the win it wanted most.
Take that, LeBron.
Despite blowing a 23-point lead, the Cavs battled back to beat the Miami Heat 102-90 on Tuesday night, getting a small dose of satisfaction against James, the franchise's biggest star who was making his second homecoming visit to Cleveland since bolting last summer.
J.J. Hickson scored 21, Anthony Parker scored 20 and unsung center Ryan Hollins threw around his weight for the Cavs, who were embarrassed by the Heat 118-90 on Dec. 2 -- a night when Cleveland fans unleashed pent-up hatred on James, the native son who scorned them.
This time, it was James who left the floor beaten. He finished with 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds and had to endure another night of constant booing from fans who once cherished his every move but now view him as a bitter enemy for betraying them.
James took the loss in stride, giving the Cavs credit they deserved.
"Anytime we play anybody, we know we're going to get the best out of them," James said. "They came out and played extremely well. It was a good win for them."
It was more than that for Cleveland.
James' departure was a crippling blow to a city that hasn't celebrated a championship since 1964, and a region desperate for something positive to happen.
For at least one night, Cleveland rocked again.
"This was for the fans and for their support," Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said. "They've stayed behind us and this was a way of saying thank you."
In the closing seconds, the sellout crowd of 20,562 cut loose at a victory even the most loyal Clevelander couldn't have imagined. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who accused James of quitting in last year's playoffs after the two-time MVP announced he was joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a poorly conceived TV special, high-fived anyone within reach.
On the floor afterward, Parker, whose last 3-pointer with 2:47 left capped a 12-0 run and put the Heat away, addressed Cavs fans.
"You guys deserve it," he said as the fans erupted.
Later, Parker said the Cavs were out to fix what went wrong on Dec. 2.

"The first time we played them here, we were embarrassed and they took a little from us," he said. "This is the night that we wanted to get that back, for us, but more for the fans. That was great getting it back for them."
The Cavaliers were a different team -- literally -- from the one that laid down against the Heat here in December. Injuries and trades have reduced Cleveland's roster to a shell of the one James played with and helped win 60 games last season.
The Heat rallied from a 71-48 deficit, tying it at 83-all on Mike Bibby's seventh 3-pointer with 7:03 left. But Miami, which wasted a chance to move into second place in the Eastern Conference standings, went scoreless for 4:24, allowing the Cavs to get just their 15th win -- and most lopsided this season.
Wade added 24 for the Heat, who had their winning streak stopped at five.
Cleveland shot a season-high 56 percent from the field, a number that made coach Erik Spoelstra's skin crawl.
"The majority of time in this league you get what you deserve and we got exactly what we deserved," Spoelstra said. "They played harder than us. They came out with much more desperation and sense of urgency. This pattern started two games ago, and we're a little confused what our identity is."
Baron Davis made his first start since coming to Cleveland in a trade, and the veteran scored 10 points and provided floor leadership. The Cavs also got a big lift from Hollins, who had 13 points, three blocks and played physically -- something none of Cleveland's players did in December.
Hollins stopped one of Wade's drives with an elbow, exchanged words with Miami's guard and knocked James' headband off under the basket.
"I feel like if they're more concerned about me, then that's a good thing for our team," Hollins said. "That's the way I wanted to play tonight."
There wasn't the same venom and hatred that shrouded James' first visit four months ago. The crowd was energetic but not as outwardly angry toward James, who was booed every time he touched the ball. Security was extremely high, but there were no reported incidents.
The teams took turns going on extended runs in a wild, back-and-forth third quarter.
Cleveland scored 18 straight and opened a 71-48 lead, sending their fans into a frenzy and putting the Heat in a deep hole. But Miami was a long way from done as Wade hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points in a 19-1 spurt that pulled the Heat within 72-67 on James' jumper.
Christian Eyenga's 3-pointer with 2 seconds left put the Cavs ahead 75-67. James flung a 3-pointer from a few steps beyond halfcourt to end the quarter, a shot that was initially ruled no good but changed after the officials reviewed TV replays between periods and determined there was a clock malfunction.
After the game, the NBA released a statement saying the shot actually should not have counted, but it was too late to change the score.
James arrived at the arena that was his pro basketball home for seven seasons at 5:12 p.m. Wearing headphones and a shirt with the inscription: "Long Live The King," James went through security and waved to a few guards before ducking into the visitor's locker room for the second time.
James wasn't sure what he would be facing, but he was confident things would not be nearly as hostile as his previous visit.
"I expect the worst," he said. "But worse than last time, Dec. 2? No."
He got something else he didn't expect.
Notes

• Heat F Mike Miller sat out with a bruised knee that Spoelstra described as "slightly sprained." Miller will be re-evaluated when his knee "calms down," Spoelstra said.
• During a timeout in the second quarter, a fan made a 3-pointer and won $10,000.
• Miami plays its next three at Washington, Minnesota and New Jersey, teams with a combined 58-162 record.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or
distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The
Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
extracted from cbssports.com

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NBA Power Rankings - A VCU among NBA playoff teams? Let's take a look

Is there a Virginia Commonwealth among this year's NBA playoff teams?
Have to say: The chances of such a shocker occurring in the upcoming postseason are about the same as a team winning an NBA play-in game.
Speaking of which, what would be wrong with that?
It's quite possible Milwaukee and Charlotte could tie for the No. 8 spot in the East, and the Bucks would earn the spot based on a 2-1 season-series edge. That's right: They only met three times, unlike most interdivision matchups in the same conference.

Wouldn't a one-game playoff -- aka a play-in game -- be more fair?
Anyway, I digress. Our focus here is to uncover the VCU of the NBA. We'll focus our attention on the six teams most likely to land in the last spot (No. 8) in the Eastern and Western conferences: Indiana, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Memphis and Houston.
Let's take inventory of the key ingredients that have stirred VCU's amazing run:
Great 3-point shooting

Advantage: Rockets. They rank among the league's Top 10 in both 3s made and percentage, a potentially deadly combination. And they're hot right now, having gone 37 for 88 (42 percent) in their past four games, a stretch in which they've gone up against a couple of defensive heavyweights (Boston and Miami).
Aggressive perimeter defense

Advantage: Grizzlies. They not only rank No. 1 in the league in steals and feature two of the best ball-swipers in the NBA (Tony Allen and Mike Conley), but they also are led at the point with the league's player who most resembles VCU's Joey Rodriguez in former Ohio State star Conley.
An oddball coach
Advantage: Grizzlies. The NBA doesn't have Shaka Smart-type coaches, so we're left to pick the one with the coolest first name. Lionel Hollins wins in a landslide.
So what do we got? Clearly, it's a two-team race, kinda like VCU and Alabama-Birmingham were among the selection committee-bashers at the start of the NCAA tournament.
If you banked on UAB, you were out of your office pool before it even started. It says here Memphis, arguably the worst 3-point-shooting team in the NBA, is the league's UAB.
So, if the Rockets make the playoffs: Beware Lakers.
Here are this week's CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings, which afford the Grizzlies and Rockets much more lofty status than VCU's RPI rating:

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The NBA Tournament Bracket: Sweet 16 & Elite 8

The results of the first two rounds of the CBSSports.com Eye On Basketball NBA Tournament Bracket. Posted by Ben Golliver, Matt Moore and Royce Young.
Last week, we kicked off the CBSSports.com Eye On Basketball NBA Tournament Bracket. That’s right, we seeded the top 16 teams in the league into four regions of four teams each to set up an NCAA-style win-or-go-home tournament.
It's time to break down the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds so that we can narrow the NBA down to its Final 4. Please note: Teams have access to the players who are expected to be healthy when the real NBA playoffs start in April. Winners were determined by a poll of Eye on Basketball staff.


Sweet 16 Round
South Region
San Antonio Spurs (1) vs. Houston Rockets (4)

The Houston Rockets are your prototypical scary upset alert team. They started so slow that expectations evaporated and they are doomed to being overlooked because they play in such a tough conference. Now that they’ve rounded into shape at just the right time and squeaked into the field, thanks in large part to the recent play of Kyle Lowry, all of a sudden no one wants to play them. Still, in a one-game set, the top overall seed San Antonio Spurs wouldn’t sweat this match-up too much. Both Texas teams can put up points in bunches, but only San Antonio has the commitment and system to take opposing offenses out of what they want to do. The Spurs are the ideal team to avoid an early round bracket upset: They’re experienced, talented, disciplined and well-coached. Gregg Popovich is really the anti-Rick Barnes when games start to matter. Winner: San Antonio by a consensus 3-0 vote.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2) vs. Denver Nuggets (3)
Every year, there’s a game that leaves fans from both sides slapping their foreheads, thinking, “We could make a serious run if we played anybody except these guys!” The new-look Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in basketball, committed on both ends and playing for one of the most respected (and yet still chronically underrated) George Karl. They have a Michigan State of recent memory feel to them, a team that you’re constantly hoping is on the other side of the bracket because they will keep coming at you no matter what. Plus, the Nuggets bring with them a solid frontcourt and the ability to Heat up, the biggest pull in the tournament. If J.R. Smith lights it up, that's the ballgame.

The Thunder, though, armed with the league’s best scorer and one of its most dynamic point guards are a nightmare match-up in a one-and-done format too. They've shown in recent weeks the ability to rise to the occasion (that win in Miami, anyone?) and have a year of postseason seasoning under their belt (plus blood in their mouth from last season's early exit). In the game that would surely set the opening round television ratings record, we think the Thunder would emerge victorious from the dogfight. Winner: Oklahoma City by a 2-1 majority vote.
West Region
Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. New York Knicks (4)
Here’s the match-up where the underdog team’s fans don’t even bother to purchase plane tickets to fly out and watch the game because they already know they’re going to get demolished. Carmelo Anthony has been scientifically proven to be allergic to winning and the mish-mashed Knicks simply cannot execute well enough yet to overcome LA’s powerhouse depth advantage. Maybe next year, New York. But probably not! Lakers roll by 30. The Knicks leave their fans wondering whether they would have been better off being relegated to the NIT. Winner: Los Angeles by a consensus 3-0 vote.

Dallas Mavericks (2) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (3)
Now this is a must-see first round matchup as the re-made Blazers match up extremely well with the Mavericks. This format is a relief for Brandon Roy, who only has to focus on one game instead of potentially seven. Able to focus on a single game, he potentially adds a completely different offensive dimension for Portland and makes it much tougher for Dallas to match up. Not to mention, LaMarcus Aldridge inside is a tough matchup for Dirk Nowitzki and Andre Miller is outstanding at controlling a game, while Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler sort of cancel each other out.

These two teams have already played some classics this season, and the Eye on Basketball staff is split on who wins out when the game comes down to a couple of key final possessions: Roy and Aldridge or Nowitzki and Jason Terry. Dallas’s season-long consistency and Dirk's singular proven greatness sees the Mavs through, but this is surely an upset special. Winner: Dallas by a 2-1 majority vote.
East Region
Boston Celtics (1) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (4)
Jrue Holiday’s speed alone is enough to swing the entirety of the casual fan set behind Philadelphia’s bid to overthrow the reigning Eastern Conference champs. The Sixers also have the team defensive and rebounding chops to push the Celtics to the wire. Ultimately, and sadly, this is a case of Boston having too many weapons and next-level chemistry. Kevin Garnett will ensure Boston comes to play out of the gate and Ray Allen is already spotting up outside the three-point line, ready to close it down late. Plus, Rajon Rondo knows all the tricks to harass Holiday during his first trip to the national stage. And ... we haven’t even mentioned Paul Pierce. Winner: Boston by a consensus 3-0 vote.

Orlando Magic (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (3)
Here’s a geographically unconventional match-up that might give you pause, but only because pairing these teams could never happen in the NBA’s conference format. Shake off the surprise and the Magic have got this one locked down: they’re playing better basketball than the Hornets lately, they’re deeper, they would own the paint and they’ve been through the fire before. Fifth year senior Hedo Turkoglu is back from his year of studying abroad in Canada and ready to reclaim his reputation as a tournament darling. While Chris Paul is capable of beating just about any team on any given night, his supporting cast is just too hit or miss to put New Orleans over the top. That’s too bad, because we hear the Hornets Athletic Department is considering eliminating Men’s Basketball after this season. Play like your school's future depends on it, Hornets. Gulp. Winner: Orlando by a consensus 3-0 vote.

Midwest Region
Chicago Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies
If you haven’t heard yet, Derrick Rose is the single greatest basketball player to ever live and, while unfailingly humble, inspires everyone in his presence to provide maximum effort through the ferocity of his desire to win. With Rudy Gay unable to play due to shoulder surgery, Memphis runs into Chicago’s brick wall defense, led by a point guard with no prior tournament experience and a massive hole on the wing. The Bulls have plenty inside to offset Zach Randolph. For a first-time head coach like Tom Thibodeau, Memphis, an undermanned cupcake, is really the ideal entry into the pressures of post-season play. Winner: Chicago by a consensus 3-0 vote.

Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks
Miami goes through by default here, as playing basketball with intelligence and heart for three quarters beats playing basketball with intelligence and heart for zero quarters. The Hawks are basically the Pitt of the NBA: looking decent on paper before laying an egg as quickly as humanly possible. Miami wins this one by 50 but rightfully receives no credit despite the obscene margin of victory. Larry Drew is an in-studio guest commentator within 48 hours after the final whistle. Winner: Miami by a consensus 3-0 vote.
Elite Eight Round
Well, as you can see, lots of chalk here. As a staff, it looks like we overwhelmingly favor the favorites, trusting that their professional instincts and experience playing together are enough to stave off any upset bids, even in a one-and-done format. Now that the Elite 8 is set, who goes through to the Final Four?
South: San Antonio (1) vs. Oklahoma City (2)
This is about as classic a “youth vs. experience” match-up as you can get in the NBA. In truth, Oklahoma City matches up very well with San Antonio: Russell Westbrook has the quickness to stay with Tony Parker, Thabo Sefalosha is a fine defensive match-up for Manu Ginobili and the Thunder have multiple bigs to throw at Tim Duncan now that Kendrick Perkins is on board. Plus, Kevin Durant should be able to do whatever he wants. Really, he could embarrass some people here.

The X-factors are San Antonio’s ability to hit from outside and Popovich’s coaching acumen. Nobody in the league has the ability to prepare a team for a one-game stand or find a way to gimmick out a victory like Pop. In an exhausting nailbiter that leaves the Thunder players lying on the court afterwards, the Spurs go through. Winner: San Antonio by a 2-1 vote.
West: Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Dallas Mavericks (2)
Los Angeles enters this game with a big-time advantage, as they had the luxury of cruising past the New York Knicks while Dallas had to fight and claw past the Portland Trail Blazers. They seize that advantage and don’t look back. L.A.’s biggest weakness, athleticism at the point guard position, isn’t exploited by Dallas, and their biggest strengths – balanced offensive attack, length down low – are overwhelming to a team that asks Tyson Chandler to do a lion’s share of its dirty work. Despite Dirk Nowitzki’s resilience and ability to get to the line at will, the Lakers pull away for a comfortable win. Then they gloat about it afterwards. Coach K really should coach this team next year. Winner: Los Angeles by a 2-1 vote.
East: Boston Celtics (1) vs. Orlando Magic (2)
One crucial post-season X-factor that we haven’t yet discussed: foul trouble. In a one-game format, a single careless decision by a guy like Dwight Howard can alter his team’s entire post-season. Nobody is better at upping the intensity and drawing that kind of carelessness out of opponents than the Celtics, plus they have a morgue full of stiffs to hammer Howard relentlessly knowing full well that the referees will shy from the moment and avoid whistling any flagrants. Sure, it’s an ugly formula, but it’s enough to see Boston through, as Paul Pierce will be able to do what he wants against Orlando’s perimeter defenders down the stretch. Based on past history, there’s also a 50% chance Jameer Nelson no-shows, which would make this even easier. Winner: Boston by a consensus 3-0 vote.

Midwest: Chicago Bulls (1) vs. Miami Heat (2)
America’s Team vs. America’s Most Hated: the dream Elite 8 match-up for television analysts who enjoy praising sacrifice, defense and single-minded dedication to the craft. Those are all factors in our decision to send Chicago through to the Final Four, but the biggest issue is that Miami’s recruiting class was simply too top-heavy and egocentric. Too many weak links and too little faith in a not-yet-established coach: even in a one and done format that might favor raw talent, that’s a recipe for disaster. Chicago, meanwhile, has just the right combination of elite talent and chip on the shoulder mentality to knock off the Fab 3. Plus, when the game tightens up, the Bulls know who will deliver. Miami has no clue. After this win, Bulls fans look past the Final Four and stream to the internet to talk about the possibility of being repeat champions next year. Winner: Chicago by a consensus 3-0 vote.
Final Thoughts
Yes, embarrasingly, we collectively picked all four number one seeds through to the Final Four. We'll break down those match-ups next week and things should really start to get interesting.
Now it's your turn: Which upsets did we miss? Which favorites do you think are likely to go down early? Weigh in below in the comments.

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