2008 NBA Playoffs

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for Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and other players who underachieved this season.

D'Antoni, meanwhile, has told associates that he is confident that he can be successful with the Bulls' roster. For the players, his upbeat personality will also be a radical change from Skiles' stern taskmaster approach. The only hang-up involves D'Antoni getting the money he wants. The Bulls may have to end up paying more for a coach than they care to, as they are still paying Skiles around $6million.

Due to philosophical differences, the Suns will happily let D'Antoni go so that they can get out from under the final $8.5million on his contract. The Suns wanted D'Antoni to incorporate more defense in his coaching. D'Antoni, in turn, was upset that owner Robert Sarver and president Steve Kerr tried to tell him how to coach the team after he had averaged 57 wins the past four seasons.

In Dallas, Johnson emphasized the kind of defense that Walsh wants the Knicks to play next season. Johnson's college coach, Ben Jobe, is close to Walsh, and Walsh decided from the start that although he targeted Jackson to be his coach, he would take his time and consider all other candidates.

With the Suns looking to change to a more conventional way of playing, Johnson's name continues to be linked to Phoenix. Although he comes off two straight first-round playoff ousters, he is seen as one of the top coaches available. Kerr and Johnson played together in San Antonio for three seasons, including the Spurs' first title season in 1999.

Rick Carlisle, who talked to Walsh about the Knicks' job and formerly coached under Walsh in Indiana, has been in talks since last Thursday with the Mavs. He is expected to succeed Johnson.

Walsh could prolong his "search" by waiting to interview Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau. The former Knicks assistant tops Walsh's list of assistant coaches who might be ready to make the jump to the head chair.

Although Celtics coach Doc Rivers doesn't have a problem with Thibodeau using an off-day in the playoff schedule to interview for the Knicks job, Rivers' bosses reportedly don't want Thibodeau to interview until after their season is over. The Celtics started their second-round series against Cleveland last night and could be playing for another five weeks.

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Jefferson was in town with the team on Jan. 27 when, according to a charge filed, he went to a club in the Graves Hotel where the victim was having a private birthday party in a roped-off section.

The documents say Jefferson entered the area and got angry when he was asked to leave. He is accused of grabbing the victim, shoving him to a bench and choking him with both hands.

On "The Mike and Murray Show" on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Jefferson gave his account of the altercation.

"It was actually Vince Carter's birthday," he said. "A party. We were actually, you know, all hanging out as a team. I was in our hotel. Actually, I was in the hotel bar. I wasn't at a strip club, you know, three hours away. I wasn't, like, in a casino. I wasn't doing anything. I was literally in our hotel bar and I had an individual come up to me who was very rude and very disrespectful and, you know, an altercation broke out."

Jefferson downplayed the severity of the incident.

"There were no punches thrown," he said on the radio show. "They were saying there was choking. It was more of a getting your space. This individual doesn't have a scratch on him. There was no mark. There was no blood. There was no anything. Obviously, [athletes] have a target on our back and it is unfortunate that these people would even do this. This incident happened four months ago. I wasn't drunk."

He took exception with the double standard that athletes endure.

"I don't even think I've ever been thrown out of a basketball game," Jefferson said in the interview. "But some drunk individual wants to come up and, you know, then, of course, when they start telling their side of the story we're the big bad athletes that think they can get away with everything and then they're some innocent individual that has never made a mistake in their life."

Nets spokesman Gary Sussman had no comment.

Jefferson's first court hearing is set for June 18.

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Kobe headlines All-NBA first team

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kobe Bryant added another honor Thursday to go with his MVP award, becoming the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA team.

The Lakers star was voted to the first team for the third straight season and sixth time in his career. He led Los Angeles to the best record in the Western Conference and was presented with the MVP trophy Wednesday before helping the Lakers to a 120-110 victory over Utah in Game 2 of the conference semifinals.

Joining Bryant on the first team were New Orleans guard Chris Paul, who was three votes shy of being a unanimous pick, along with Boston's Kevin Garnett, Cleveland's LeBron James and Orlando center Dwight Howard.

Garnett was a first-team pick for the fourth time and James made his second appearance. Paul and Howard were first-timers.

Voting was done by a panel of 127 sports writers and broadcasters, with points being awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash of Phoenix were voted to the second team along with San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Utah guard Deron Williams and Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki.

The third team consisted of Houston's Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, plus Utah's Carlos Boozer, Boston's Paul Pierce and the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, the league's top sixth man.

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Nets promote Vandeweghe to GM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The New Jersey Nets have a new general manager.

Kiki Vandeweghe was promoted to the position Thursday, less than six months after being hired as a special assistant to team president Rod Thorn.

Vandeweghe replaces Ed Stefanski, who left in midseason to become the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The general manager's job is the second for Vandeweghe. He held the same job with the Denver Nuggets from August 2001 until the end of the 2005-06 season.

Neither Vandeweghe nor the Nets disclosed terms of his new contract.

Vandeweghe's immediate task is to get the Nets back on track after missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.

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Sam Cassell: NBA Is Protecting LeBron James

Brett EdwardsPosted May 8th 2008 1:00PM by Brett Edwards
Filed under: Celtics, Cavaliers, NBA Gossip, NBA Playoffs

Sam Cassell was called for a flagrant foul on Lebron James halfway through the second quarter of the Celtics' Game 1 win over the Cavs. At the time, when they showed the replay, it looked to me to be a flagrant because once LeBron got past Sam, Cassell grabbed James' shoulder to stop him from getting a shot up. Cassell thinks it was a pretty weak call, and that the NBA is protecting its superstars like never before.

Cassell, who broke into the league during the rough-and-tumble mid-1990s, said the NBA is protecting Cavaliers star LeBron James in a way it never did with Michael Jordan.

"Wow. It's just different right now. They gave me a flagrant-1 foul, and no way in the world was it a flagrant-1 foul. I'm going to call [NBA vice president] Stu [ Jackson] and see what he thinks about that. That's not a flagrant-1 foul at all. Back in the day, a flagrant-1 was bloodshed. Now, you can just grab somebody . . . It's the new NBA."

At first glance, Cassell's seems to be right, in that all he did was grab LeBron. But on the bloodshed part, he may have gotten it wrong. Because according to James, the play resulted in him receiving a cut to his upper lip.

''Want me to show you?'' he said to a Cavs PR representative who had asked (at my request) where he was hit on Boston Celtics guard Sam Cassell's flagrant foul Tuesday night.

James then revealed the cut that he received inside his mouth as he drove to the basket.

So is the NBA trying to cut down on the physical play more now than they did in the past? Absolutely. And with that in mind, should this have been called a flagrant foul? Yes, because Sam wasn't making a play on the ball, he was simply trying to ensure that James didn't get a shot off. Cassell's correct that the NBA is trying to protect it's stars more than they used to. And since he's aware of that, he shouldn't be surprised when grabbing a player from behind results in a flagrant foul call.

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Celtics beat Cavs to take 2-0 series lead

Agence France Presse

BOSTON, Massachusetts - Paul Pierce scored 19 points and Boston's defense was again dominant Thursday as the Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-73 in the National Basketball Association playoffs.

The victory gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.

Ray Allen broke out of his slump with 16 points and Kevin Garnett chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics took a commanding lead before the series shifts to Cleveland for game three on Saturday.

After notching the NBA's best road record in the regular season of 31-10, the Celtics are 0-3 on the road in the postseason.

As he did in game one, Cleveland superstar LeBron James struggled, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-24 shooting. Overall the Cavaliers shot 35 percent from the floor.

The Cavaliers were also without center Ben Wallace for most of the game.

Wallace left the court in the first quarter complaining of dizziness. He appeared unsteady as he approached the team's bench and was taken to the locker room.

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Celtics beat Cavs to take 2-0 series lead

Agence France Presse

BOSTON, Massachusetts - Paul Pierce scored 19 points and Boston's defense was again dominant Thursday as the Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-73 in the National Basketball Association playoffs.

The victory gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.

Ray Allen broke out of his slump with 16 points and Kevin Garnett chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics took a commanding lead before the series shifts to Cleveland for game three on Saturday.

After notching the NBA's best road record in the regular season of 31-10, the Celtics are 0-3 on the road in the postseason.

As he did in game one, Cleveland superstar LeBron James struggled, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-24 shooting. Overall the Cavaliers shot 35 percent from the floor.

The Cavaliers were also without center Ben Wallace for most of the game.

Wallace left the court in the first quarter complaining of dizziness. He appeared unsteady as he approached the team's bench and was taken to the locker room.

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Done deal: Carlisle, Mavs have verbal agreement
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer

More NBA Videos DALLAS (AP)—Rick Carlisle will be the new coach of the Dallas Mavericks, a decision expected for nearly a week but slowed by contract negotiations.

The papers aren’t signed yet, but team owner Mark Cuban confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Friday night that a verbal deal is in place.

The contract “will be signed tomorrow (Saturday),” with a news conference Wednesday because Cuban will be out of town until then.

Reached late Friday, Carlisle said: “Whatever Mark told you is what’s going on. I’m not going to make any comments about it right now.”

Carlisle was the only candidate the Mavericks interviewed after firing coach Avery Johnson the morning after their second straight first-round playoff exit.

Cuban had never fired a coach or hired a coach from outside the organization. While he and Donnie Nelson, the team’s president of basketball operations, considered other candidates, they settled on Carlisle pretty quickly. A few interviews later, they began working on the contract and things dragged on.

This is Carlisle’s third time as head coach and his first stint in the Western Conference, where having Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t guarantee making the playoffs. Carlisle went 281-211 over two seasons in Detroit, then four in Indiana. He made the playoffs his first five years, then lost his job with the Pacers after missing out in 2007. He spent this past year out of the NBA, but following it closely working for ESPN.

Although Dallas has won at least 50 games and been in the playoffs eight straight years, the club is getting older and has a maxed-out salary cap, meaning it will take some creative deals to shake up the roster.

Kidd was hoping for a coach who would encourage more of a free-flowing offense, while Nowitzki wanted someone who would still emphasize defense. Other players probably wanted someone with a looser grip than the controlling Johnson, but that’s not necessarily the case with Carlisle.

Carlisle, 49, was the Coach of the Year in his first year in charge with the Pistons. He made the conference finals the next two years—with Detroit, then Indiana. The Pistons fired him and replaced him with Larry Brown. Carlisle ended up leading the Pacers to a franchise-record for wins, but they lost to Brown and Detroit a series shy of the NBA finals, which the Pistons went on to win.

After winning 61 games his first season in Indiana, his teams won fewer games each season, bottoming out at 35 finals in his final year.

Still, the man who fired him from that job is now running the Knicks and considered hiring Carlisle there. He also was considered for the Chicago job.

A native of upstate New York, Carlisle was the co-captain of the Virginia team that made the Final Four in 1984, the year after Ralph Sampson left. He was a first-round pick of the Boston Celtics and was a backup on their 1986 championship team.

He spent three seasons with the Celtics, one with the Knicks and was briefly with the Nets in 1989. He broke into coaching that year with New Jersey, working under Bill Fitch and Chuck Daly. He spent the next three seasons working for Portland, then went to Indiana to be an assistant under his old Celtics teammate Larry Bird.

Bird guided the Pacers to the NBA finals in 2000, then resigned. Isiah Thomas was hired over Carlisle, who wound up getting his big break with the Pistons.

The Mavericks are only two years removed from the NBA finals and one season beyond a 67-win campaign that included Nowitzki being named league MVP. Yet after the two quick playoff exits, Cuban decided things must change for them to keep pace with the old guard like San Antonio and with up-and-comers like New Orleans.

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Boozer leads Jazz to 104-99 win over Lakers
By DOUG ALDEN, AP Sports Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—So much for Carlos Boozer’s slump and the Lakers’ unbeaten run through the playoffs.

Boozer scored 27 points and tied a career playoff-high with 20 rebounds to lead Utah to a 104-99 victory Friday night, cutting Los Angeles’ lead in the Western Conference semifinals to 2-1.

The Jazz handed the Lakers their first loss of this season’s playoffs and got back into the series by doing at home what they couldn’t do on the road. The Jazz hit exactly half their shots and forced the Lakers into 18 turnovers, looking very little like the team that stumbled through two straight losses in Los Angeles to open the series.

“We competed very hard, much better than we did over there. That’s what happens with a young team,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “We made mistakes but we kept playing hard. Before, we made mistakes and we felt sorry for ourselves. Tonight we kept playing hard.”

The Jazz took the lead early in the second quarter and never gave it up. Utah held off a late push by the Lakers and league MVP Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds but could not carry the team alone. Nobody else scored more than 13 points for Los Angeles.

Utah’s offense was stagnant in the first two games, but on Friday the Jazz started hitting from the outside and moving the ball around enough to clear the inside for the layups their offense is designed to create. Boozer started slowly, but finished 12-for-21 and had 11 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Boozer’s 27 points were two more than he scored in the first two games combined.

“I tried to stop thinking so much out there. My teammates were waiting for a big game out of me and I was too. … I had to play thought-free and just react and play,” he said.

Deron Williams added 18 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, who host Game 4 Sunday afternoon and like their chances to even the series. The Jazz had the best home record in the regular season (37-4) and are 4-1 in the playoffs. Home teams are 11-0 in the four conference semifinals.

“It was just a solid game for us tonight,” Williams said. “We pushed the ball in transition and got some easy things going. guys were hitting shots and our confidence kept carrying over.”

The Lakers were 6-0 entering Friday’s game. After falling behind by 13 points, the Lakers made several runs in the second half and got as close as three points. Utah always came up with a steal, block or rebound to end the threat.

“We clawed back but you can’t turn the ball over so many times,” Bryant said. “We had a lot of open looks and you can sustain a game like that if you don’t turn the ball over.”

Utah went 39-for-78 from the field and overcame Los Angeles’ advantage from the foul line. The Jazz took nine fewer free throws than the Lakers, but went 20-for-28 from the line. Utah outscored Los Angeles 48-36 in the paint and finished with 22 points off turnovers.

“This team is good enough for us to lose to and we have to understand that and play our best game at all times,” said Lamar Odom, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers. “We could have lost to anyone playing like that.”

Derek Fisher scored 13 points for the Lakers exactly one year after he had one of the most memorable moments in Jazz history.

Friday was the anniversary of Fisher’s dramatic third-quarter entrance for the Jazz in an overtime win over Golden State. Fisher had flown from New York, where his daughter was receiving treatment for a cancerous eye tumor. He got a standing ovation in that game, but on Friday was booed with the rest of the Lakers.

Mehmet Okur scored 22 points for the Jazz, making 4-of-7 3-pointers, while Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring both added 12 points.

In the end, the Jazz left it up to Boozer, who scored almost half of Utah’s 25 fourth-quarter points.

“I think he finally got over that hump. That’s big,” Williams said. “That’s what we’re going to need. It just takes so much pressure off everybody else when he’s playing like that.”

Los Angeles went on a 6-0 run to get within 95-92, then Boozer went to work. He hit a hook shot over Luke Walton in the lane to put Utah up 97-92, then Bryant lost the ball while falling and didn’t get the foul call he wanted. The Jazz used 23 of the 24 seconds they had on the shot clock and Boozer made a shot over Odom.

After Bryant missed a 3-point attempt, the Jazz got the rebound and went to Boozer again for a 101-92 lead with 1:57 left.

Walton hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 left to get Los Angeles within 103-97, then Bryant made two from the line to get the Lakers within four.

The Jazz missed again at the other end, but the Lakers bobbled the ball, too, and Williams crashed to the floor for a loose ball and forced a jump ball. The guard didn’t stand a chance against Lakers center Pau Gasol, but it ate up time and the Lakers turned it over again.

“I told the guys they made a good comeback but they just couldn’t make the plays at the end,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Notes

The Jazz outscored Lakers in the paint 24-14 in first half. … Utah made eight of its first 10 shots in the second quarter. … Bryant was 14-for-17 from the line. … Walton finished with 11 points.

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Colangelo plans talks to sort out conflict with Ford over point guard
May 09, 2008 04:30 AM
Doug Smith
Sports Reporter

One position, two players who now have stated publicly they want it. Welcome to Bryan Colangelo's dilemma.

Jose Calderon said on his personal website that he wants to be a starting NBA point guard, which is the same position coveted by T.J. Ford.

Calderon's posting was his first public declaration that he wants the No.1 job. "I want to be a starter and be in a team that aspires to everything," he wrote. "I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor."

However, Calderon really doesn't have much to say about where he plays next season. Because he is a restricted free agent when his contract expires July 1, the Raptors can match any offer he gets from another team, a move Colangelo has repeatedly said he will make.

The president and GM said he has yet to have any serious contract discussions with Calderon's agents and he hasn't reached out to Ford to see if the issue can be resolved.

"I've always said I found it a positive that T.J. felt he was a starter in the NBA," Colangelo said yesterday. "Jose has obviously displayed he's capable of having that attitude as well as being willing to make sacrifices."

The GM, recently returned from a scouting trip to the EuroLeague Final Four in Madrid, said he's letting a little time pass before he sits down for discussions with the players and their agents. Colangelo said at the end of the Raptors season he would "explore everything we can in terms of making it work with both of them. A short 12 months ago, it was our greatest strength, but I'm not ready to throw it out until we've completely exhausted that process."

Ford has three years and about $26 million (all figures U.S.) left on his contract. Calderon was paid about $2.4 million last season but will be in for a substantial raise in any new deal.

PEACE TALKS: Bryan Colangelo is trying to make peace with Spain.

The Raptors launched a multi-million lawsuit against the Spanish Basketball Federation over an insurance claim regarding Jorge Garbajosa's leg injury and season-ending surgery, but the president and GM met with Spanish officials last weekend to try for a settlement.

"We're working toward a resolution and I'm hopeful the meetings were received as productive," Colangelo said yesterday.

Garbajosa, who was originally injured in an NBA game March 2007, returned to play for Spain at the European championship last summer only after the federation took out a $1 million insurance policy to protect the Raptors financially if he was re-injured. Garbajosa played only six games with the Raptors before having another operation.

GAMES PLAYER: Carlos Delfino is going to Beijing.

The Raptors guard/forward, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, was officially named yesterday to the Argentina team that will try to defend its Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Games.

He joins fellow NBAers Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola and Fabricio OBerto on the team.

PARKER HONOURED: Anthony Parker's European basketball career ended in 2006, but it will always be remembered.

Parker, who left Maccabi Tel Aviv after five seasons to join the Raptors as a free agent in 2007, has been honoured as one of the EuroLeague's top 50 personalities in the league's 50-year history.

In his five seasons in Israel, Parker was twice named league MVP and was the EuroLeague's Final Four MVP in 2004.

"I never thought my name would be next to those guys," Parker said yesterday of a group that includes Toni Kukoc, Manu Ginobili and Drazen Petrovic.

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CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Cleveland Cavaliers center Ben Wallace is doubtful for Game Three of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics due to allergies and a viral inner ear infection, the team announced Friday.

The Cavaliers trail the best-of-seven series, 2-0. Game Three is Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Wallace left early in the first quarter of Thursday's 89-73 Game Two loss due to dizziness.

The former Defensive Player of the Year nearly collapsed after experiencing dizziness with 8:20 remaining while walking toward Cleveland's bench before teammates caught him. He did not return.

"I got lightheaded, my head started spinning," Wallace said. "There was smoke in the first quarter - you can't play basketball with your head spinning like that."

A 12-year veteran, Wallace averaged 4.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 22 games with Cleveland after being acquired in a three-team, 11-player trade involving Seattle and Chicago on February 22

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Mike D'Antoni deal shot down

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, May 10th 2008, 12:09 AM

The Knicks continue to deny reports that they are on the verge of offering Mike D'Antoni a contract to become their next coach.

Donnie Walsh, the team's new president, sent word Friday through the Knicks' media relations department that reports of D'Antoni receiving a five-year deal are "inaccurate." For the second straight day, ESPN.com said that D'Antoni is the Knicks "No. 1 coaching target" and that Walsh and D'Antoni's representatives have "outlined the lucrative parameters of a five-year deal" which, translated into English, apparently means that the two sides are in contract negotiations.

D'Antoni, 57, is still under contract with the Phoenix Suns and is scheduled to earn $8.5 million over the next two years. It is widely believed that D'Antoni will not return to Phoenix. However, he received a strong endorsement yesterday from his All-Star point guard.

"This is the last thing I'm going to say about our coaching situation: Mike's my coach," two-time MVP Steve Nash told The Associated Press during a charity event in Phoenix. "So I expect to see Mike back here next year. And I know there's a lot of stuff going on right now, but Mike's my coach. I love playing for him. I expect to see him back in October."

Meanwhile, Walsh has remained conspicuously silent over the past week as the Knicks' coaching search has turned into a media feeding frenzy. Yesterday, former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, speaking on ESPN-1050, said that while D'Antoni would be an outstanding coach for the Knicks, it was doubtful that D'Antoni was even interested in the job. He also intimated that D'Antoni's representatives were using the Knicks as a way to get a better offer from the Chicago Bulls.

It is unlikely that Van Gundy is talking to either Walsh or D'Antoni but he is close to Mark Jackson, who is presumed to be the front-runner for the Knicks' job. In fact, Van Gundy said he and Jackson, in Cleveland to broadcast tonight's Cavaliers-Celtics game, were going to the Indians' game last night.

Jackson is following Walsh's lead by refusing to talk to reporters about the Knicks. But that doesn't mean he isn't talking to Van Gundy, who knows the inner workings and the cutthroat politics of Madison Square Garden as well as anyone.

Jackson does not have a coaching agent but he has a strong ally in Van Gundy. That alone is certain to strike fear into several Garden executives, the same ones who celebrated when Van Gundy left the Knicks and have since watched the franchise suffer through seven straight losing seasons.

Many of those executives were relieved when Van Gundy took his name out of consideration for the job. Instead, he endorsed Jackson, who could be the type of no-nonsense disciplinarian that the Knicks need. But perhaps Walsh, like many of the executives working under him, prefers the easygoing, non-threatening style of D'Antoni.

Walsh hired a similar coach in Larry Bird, who guided the Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals. Once Bird left the bench, Walsh brought in Isiah Thomas, who this past season with the Knicks may have set an unofficial record for the fewest and shortest practices.

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Pau Gasol is the incredible shrinking Laker
May 10, 2008


"I can do much better," Gasol acknowledged.

On that shot, he was perfect.

n a game in which Utah's two big men combined for 49 points, he scored 12.

In a game that featured 37 Lakers free throws, he didn't get to the foul line once.

In a game that featured many touches in 40 minutes, he had just one assist.

And then there were the turnovers.

Gasol had a team-high five blunders, throwing the ball in the stands or dribbling it off his foot or just losing it to players who wanted it more.

With seemingly every turnover came a glare at the referee.

Sometimes that glare continued while the Jazz was scoring at the other end.

Always, that glare burned his coach.

"This is a game in which Pau was looking at the referees every time he got stripped there in the first half," said Phil Jackson. "They were just attacking him every time he put the ball on the floor. Those turnovers changed the course of the game."

Attacking him every time he put the ball on the floor? Hmm.

The Jazz was doing what the Denver Nuggets could not do, but what every other likely Lakers opponent this postseason will certainly do.

And on the odd chance they weren't going to do it before Friday night, well, they'll be doing it now.

By disappearing, Gasol has become the Lakers' marked man.

By complaining so much to the officials, he might become one of the league's marked men.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said of his constant complaints. "I have to learn to play through certain things, whether I agree with them or not, I have to play through it."

Give him credit for at least staying on the floor.

In the fourth quarter he had a basket, and two rebounds, and a hand in one of those three consecutive steals.

"Struggle is a big word," Ronny Turiaf said of his teammate. "He did not have a great night, true, but he kept playing."

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Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James has trust of his teammates, coach
James' teammates, coach believe he'll return to form
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Jodie Valade
Plain Dealer Reporter

The player with the vanishing offense, the one with the historically bad start in the Eastern Conference semifinals, spent all of Friday's practice working on his shooting. LeBron James is, apparently, determined. He will find a way to make baskets.

James ricocheted trick shots off the backboard and swished left-handed jumpers, trying anything as he battled in a fierce game of "P-I-G."

He called it quits while tied at "P" with the Cavaliers' PR director, appeared unfazed as he bounded into the locker room, and vowed to settle the score later.

He didn't talk to the media about whether he has relocated his outside touch in time for tonight's Game 3 against Boston at The Q, or whether the James who was the NBA's top scorer in the regular season will lead the Cavaliers from the 2-0 deficit they have in the best-of-seven series. Only 13 teams have rebounded from such a start to win a series, the Cavaliers among them after losing their first two games to Detroit in last year's Eastern Conference finals.

Though James' offense in two losses to Boston is setting records for ineffectiveness, his teammates continue to pronounce faith in his return to form, his coach is imploring him to be more aggressive in taking control, and the team hopes, in general, to find ways to break down the smothering Celtics defense - with or without its super- star.

"I think LeBron is surprising himself," Cavaliers forward Wally Szczerbiak said. "I don't think he's ever had two games like this. But the poor guy's got so much on his shoulders.

"He's got to carry the weight of the team, the weight of the offense, and he's got everyone pointing fingers at him and trying to stop him."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has pointed back at James and told him to be more aggressive, to stop hesitating when double-teams swarm. Brown said he wants James to take whatever shots are open - even if it's the outside jumpers the Celtics are encouraging.

"There are times when he's wide open, and you can't be [wide open] in this league and not want to take those shots," Brown said. "He's got to keep stepping in and taking them. If he's open, I want him to take the shot. I could sit here and say, 'I want you to attack the rim on every possession.' That's easy and the right thing to say. But if he's open, which he was in Game 2, he's got to step up and shoot it without hesitating or thinking about the shot at all.

"And if he misses five in a row, I want him to take the sixth one the next time down."

That encouragement comes despite James' 8-for-42 shooting in two games. His 19 percent average prompted statistical research departments to unearth two items that place the output in historical context: It is the worst for the first two games of a series by a player with 30 attempts since Joe Fulks shot 17.6 percent in 1948 with the Philadelphia Warriors. And it is the worst of any two consecutive playoff games by a player attempting 40 shots since Tom Heinsohn was 8-for-41 in 1961 with Boston.

James' struggles have encouraged not only a team-wide rally to support their leader, but also for the Cavaliers to explore other possibilities for penetrating the Boston defense that has limited Cleveland to 33 percent shooting.

Only center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (57 percent) and guard Sasha Pavlovic (57 percent) are shooting better than 40 percent against the Celtics. Ilgauskas leads the Cavaliers with 20.5 points in two games, and Cleveland might lean more heavily on the 7-3 center to jump-start the offense.

"That would be a nice thing to have in our offense," Szczerbiak said. "That would be good to get a nice low-post presence, because that will collapse their defense in a different way. We are definitely trying to explore that option."

But James remains Option No. 1, if only because the defensive attention he commands continues to free teammates for open jumpers - which they've also missed, so far. Szczerbiak (36 percent) and guard Daniel Gibson (25 percent) both emphasized the pressure is on the team's shooters to score as much as it is on James.

"Even though he's not making shots, he's still LeBron, he's still making the game easier for other guys," Gibson said. "We just have to make plays for him, make the game easier for him since their defense is so locked in on what he wants to do. If we make shots, it'll make the game a lot easier for him."

The Cavaliers also hope to be aided by a return of the same Celtics road team that lost three times in Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

Strangely, one thing they aren't hoping for is James' shooting touch to suddenly reappear.

"With LeBron, I don't need to be hopeful," Brown said. "I believe in him. He's going to get it done."

[AUSTIN316]

May 11, 2008, 1:07AM
NBA
Knicks the apple of D'Antoni's eye
Ex-Suns coach to ink 4-year deal; Carlisle, Mavericks make it official

Chronicle News Services

NEW YORK — Mike D'Antoni has agreed to coach the New York Knicks, bringing his entertaining offensive style from the Phoenix Suns to a team coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

The Knicks released a statement Saturday night saying they had agreed in principle with D'Antoni and that a news conference would be held once the contract had been completed.

D'Antoni had two years and $8.5 million left on his Phoenix contract. Suns owner Robert Sarver wouldn't confirm that D'Antoni had taken the New York job earlier Saturday, but said, "Mike called me this morning to thank me, so I figured this was up."

The offer is reportedly for $24 million over four years, making him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches. The Chicago Bulls also interviewed D'Antoni for their coaching job.

Messages were left for D'Antoni and his agent, Warren LeGarie.

D'Antoni replaces Isiah Thomas, who was fired in April after the Knicks went 23-59, tying the franchise record for losses in a season. D'Antoni will become the Knicks' sixth different coach since the start of the 2002-03 season.

The 57-year-old D'Antoni led the Suns to a 55-27 record last season and was coach of the year in 2005. He had a 232-96 regular-season record the past four years, but the Suns were eliminated in the first round by San Antonio last month. The Suns then gave D'Antoni permission to pursue other jobs.

In other news
• Mavs hire 'top choice' — The Dallas Mavericks made it official, announcing they had hired Rick Carlisle to replace Avery Johnson as their coach.
Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, said in a statement that Carlisle was "our top choice from the onset."

This is Carlisle's third time as head coach and his first stint in the Western Conference. He went 281-211 over two seasons in Detroit, then four in Indiana.