2008 NBA Playoffs

[AUSTIN316]

Sixers score upset win in playoff opener vs Pistons
04/21/2008 | 09:03 AM
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Andre Miller scored 20 points and Willie Green had a career playoff-high 17, helping the Philadelphia 76ers stun the Detroit Pistons 90-86 Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The Eastern Conference's second-seeded team was expected beat the seventh-seeded Sixers by double digits and did lead by 15 midway through the third quarter.

But Philadelphia refused to follow the script.

After the Sixers trailed 62-47, Green made two baskets to start a 10-0 run that sparked a comeback.

Miller gave Philadelphia a lead midway through the fourth quarter for the first time since late in the first.

After Chauncey Billups missed three of four free throws and a layup in 2-plus minutes late in the game, he made two from the line to pull the Pistons within one with 45 seconds left.

Detroit's Jason Maxiell drew a charge on the ensuing possession, giving the home team a chance to avoid an upset.

The Pistons set up a play that created an open shot for Tayshaun Prince, but his jumper was short. After Andre Iguodala made one of two free throws with 11 seconds left, Rasheed Wallace missed a shot near the basket that would have tied it at 88.

Iguodala then made two free throws with 7 seconds left to seal the win.

Wallace had 24 points, nine rebounds and matched a franchise playoff record with seven blocks.

Both teams will get two days off before Detroit hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Celtics open playoffs with easy 104-81 win vs Hawks
04/21/2008 | 11:35 AM
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BOSTON - Ray Allen scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 as the two newcomers who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA's best record sparked them to a 104-81 win Sunday night in their playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks.

Garnett stopped a 14-3 Hawks run with a jumper, starting a six-point Boston surge that made it 35-27 in the second quarter. And Allen scored 10 straight Celtics points midway through the third that extended a 13-point lead to 67-48 with 5:39 left in the period.

The top-seeded Celtics' lead ranged from 12 to 27 points the rest of the way.

The second game of the best-of-seven series will be in Boston on Wednesday night.

Eighth-seeded Atlanta, which ended the NBA's longest playoff drought with its first appearance in nine years, was led by rookie Al Horford with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Joe Johnson added 19 points.

Garnett had skipped two days of practice for personal reasons before rejoining his teammates Saturday. He didn't miss a beat.

Playing in his first playoff series in four years, the former Minnesota star had 10 rebounds. When he left with 3:26 remaining in the game, fans chanted "MVP, MVP."

Allen is in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons after being obtained in an offseason trade with Seattle to provide a smooth shooting touch. He showed that when he hit his four consecutive shots, two of them 3-pointers.

Paul Pierce scored 16 for Boston and Rajon Rondo had 15.

The Celtics are 4-0 this season against the Hawks with all the wins by at least 10 points.

They pulled away in the third quarter behind their starting backcourt. They led 57-44 with eight minutes left in the period, before Allen's shooting spree preceded six straight Boston points by Rondo, who landed on the floor after his final basket that made it 73-55 with one quarter left.

The Celtics led 26-13 with three minutes left in the first before the Hawks made it 29-27 on Marvin Williams' jumper with 10:39 left in the second. By that time, Atlanta's Josh Smith, second in the NBA with 2.8 blocks, already had three.

Then Garnett, on Boston's bench with two fouls, returned and immediately hit a 14-footer to kick off the 6-0 run.

With the score 35-31, Sam Cassell scored the game's next seven points, giving the Celtics a 42-31 lead with 5:11 left in the second. - AP

[angas11]

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[AUSTIN316]

Ginobili beats Barbosa for NBA's 6th man award
04/22/2008 | 08:37 AM
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SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili — good enough to be a starter on about any team — won the NBA's sixth man award given to the league's best reserve on Monday.

Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring, averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Ginobili came off the bench in 51 of the 74 games he played this season.

"I really don't care about coming from the bench if that helps the team to win a championship," Ginobili said.

The Spurs have a 1-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Suns guard Leandro Barbosa won the award last year and Ginobili came in second.

"He's one of the better players in the NBA, who just happens to come off the bench," said Spurs starting guard Michael Finley. "Any other team in the league, he'd probably be starting, but for him to come off the bench and put his ego aside it just shows what kind of team we have, and more importantly what kind of player and All-Star he is."

Ginobili got 123 of 124 first-place votes for 615 points. Barbosa came in second with 283 points and the Dallas Mavericks' Jason Terry was third with 44.

"It was no race. Just like, when (is it) going to happen," said Spurs point guard Tony Parker. "He was our best player all year long."

The 6-foot-6 guard who gives the team a boost of energy off the bench. He was drafted by the Spurs in 1999 in the second round with the 57th overall pick. The Argentinian has been with the team for three of its four title runs.

"That is what I'm going to remember when I retire, the rings I have," Ginobili said. "Not the fact I played 28 minutes or 33 or my name being called in the starting lineup. That's not going to make the difference in 10 to 15 years."

Ginobili enters the game, usually about midway through the first quarter, to huge roars from the crowd when the Spurs announcer yells "Here comes Manu!"

"I just consider myself a player, a team player," Ginobili said. "So this year he (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) thought it was more important for me to come from the bench, so I just try to do it the best way I can."

Popovich gave all the credit to Ginobili, who is the first Spurs player to win the award.

"Manu is a person who's much more concerned with the group than he is about himself," Popovich said. "He got over himself a long time ago. ... I don't think there are too many All-Stars that coaches in this league can go to and say, 'You've been great. Now you're going to come off the bench.' So I'm very fortunate."

Ginobili shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range in his sixth regular NBA season and when he drives the lane — routinely picking up bumps and bruises along the way — he's known for putting the ball in from seemingly impossible angles.

"Before I got here I used to think those shots that he made were luck, and what we called, when I was growing up, fluke shots," Finley said. "Now that I'm his teammate and I see him on a daily basis, that's his game."

Ginobili hit the game winning layup in the Spurs' Game 1 win over the Suns on Saturday with 1.8 seconds on the clock in double overtime.

The last sixth man award winner to lead his team in scoring was Milwaukee's Ricky Pierce. He averaged 23 points when he won the award in 1990. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Scott Skiles takes over as new head coach of Milwaukee Bucks
04/22/2008 | 08:38 AM
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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks need to play tougher defense, and start sharing the ball on offense. So they're turning to Scott Skiles, the man who owns the NBA's single-game assist record — and who once got into a fight with Shaquille O'Neal during his playing days and lived to tell the tale.

The Bucks introduced Skiles as their new coach Monday, signing the former Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns coach to a four-year deal to replace someone Skiles considers a close friend, Larry Krystkowiak.

And while Skiles said he learned some lessons after the Bulls fired him in December, he isn't backing away from his re:"tion for demanding a lot from his players.

"I always feel like I'm supposed to apologize for that," Skiles said. "And I'm not sure that's the tack I want to take. Anybody that is going to come to work with enthusiasm, concentrate and play hard will never have a problem with me. I don't care if they throw the ball in the seats 25 times a game."

He doesn't?

"They'll be pulled out of the game before they get to 25, of course, but they will never have a problem with me," Skiles added.

Skiles, who was drafted out of Michigan State by the Bucks in the first round in 1986, said he has a "fond place" in his heart for Milwaukee. But he has no illusions about the difficult task he faces in turning around a team that began the season with playoff aspirations but finished 26-56.

"It's not going to be easy," Skiles said. "I don't have any magic dust to sprinkle on people. We're going to have to do it by working harder and playing better (defense), and the first step will be getting competitive every single night. The team has not been competitive every night and if we do that, good things will happen."

The 44-year-old Skiles has more NBA head coaching experience than Milwaukee's two previous coaches, Krystkowiak and Terry Stotts, did when they were hired by the Bucks.

Skiles spent nearly three full seasons in Phoenix after taking over for Danny Ainge early in the 1999-00 season. He was fired by the Bulls in December after making the playoffs in three of his first four seasons in Chicago.

But experience wasn't the main thing new Bucks general manager John Hammond was looking for in his new coach. Hammond wanted toughness, something Skiles is certain to bring. But will the Bucks, one of the league's worst defensive teams last year, buy in?

"It's a player's responsibility to buy into it and be willing to accept it," Hammond said. "But if you have the kind of people who are willing to accept it, it can happen. I truly believe players want to be coached. They want to be taught. They want discipline within the team. So it's a coach's responsibility to bring those things to the table."

The Bucks are expected to try to overhaul their roster in the offseason. Skiles is familiar with the Bucks from coaching against them, but said he wasn't comfortable assessing individual players, yet.

"I've never made any secret of my philosophy, I believe in playing hard, playing defense, playing with passion, bring enthusiasm every single day and that's what I'll be after. I'm not real concerned with what happened before," Skiles said.

Skiles didn't want to make excuses for the Bulls' rough start this season, although he mentioned the team might have been distracted by persistent trade rumors involving Kobe Bryant and ongoing contractual issues with some of their top players.

"It's still an excuse," Skiles said. "Any maybe that was the case. We just couldn't seem to get over that. I think Chicago will come back and be a very, very good club next year again."

Skiles said he spoke to Krystkowiak about the job even before Krystkowiak officially was fired. Skiles said Krystkowiak called it a "great" opportunity, and doesn't expect the decision to take the job would affect their friendship. In fact, Skiles and his wife had dinner plans with Krystkowiak and his wife Monday night.

But Skiles is not likely to bring Krystkowiak back as an assistant.

"I would love to work with Larry at some point," Skiles said. "I don't know if this is the time or place for that."

As a player, Skiles played only 13 games for Milwaukee as a rookie, but he went on to a 10-year career that included stops in Indiana, Orlando, Washington and Philadelphia.

While with Orlando, Skiles set an NBA record with 30 assists in a December 30, 1990 game against Denver. Skiles' more notorious achievement while playing for the Magic, however, was a confrontation with O'Neal during practice that also involved Krystkowiak.

O'Neal reportedly went after Krystkowiak and the 6-foot-1 Skiles jumped in to help out his friend, ending up in a rugby-style scrum.

Skiles confirmed that his run-in with Shaq wasn't an urban legend.

"But it was purely self-defense," he joked. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Arenas expected to play with sore wrist in Game 2 vs Cavs
04/22/2008 | 09:19 AM
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CLEVELAND - Washington guard Gilbert Arenas is expected to play in Game 2 of the Wizards' series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night despite a sprained right wrist.

Arenas scored 24 points in the opener, but apparently hurt his wrist in the fourth quarter while fouling LeBron James. Arenas was already slowed by a surgically repaired knee.

He participated in Monday's shootaround with a wrap on his wrist. Arenas spent several minutes after the workout launching long shots, trying to win money from teammates betting he'd miss.

"He seems to be ready to go," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.

Arenas, who missed 69 games during the regular season after having surgery on his left knee, did not speak to the media following the shootaround.

Arenas came off the bench in Game 1 with 3:24 left in the first quarter. One of the NBA's deadliest outside shooters, he ended the period by dropping a 35-footer in the final second, draining the shot with a flick of his wrist over an unsuspecting Delonte West.

Arenas followed that shot with a pair of 3s early in the second quarter as the Wizards built an 11-point lead they couldn't hold.

West knows he can't give Arenas any room to shoot.

"Once he steps in the gym, I don't think there is any shot that's out of his range," West said.

Arenas made 8 of 16 shots in Game 1. Jordan doesn't plan to start Arenas anytime soon, but that could change if the Wizards fall behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Cleveland and Washington are meeting in the opening round for the third straight year. The Cavaliers won in six games two years ago, and swept the Wizards in four straight last year. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

LeBron scores 30 as Cavs beat up Wizards, 116-86
04/22/2008 | 10:11 AM
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CLEVELAND - Maybe Gilbert Arenas was talking about some other Cavaliers.

The Cleveland team he and the Washington Wizards faced Monday night doesn't look so beatable.

LeBron James scored 30 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16, and the Cavaliers played their best game in months, blowing out Arenas and Co. 116-86 to take a 2-0 lead in an opening-round playoff series oozing with bad blood.

The 30-point margin of victory was the largest in Cleveland's postseason history. The Cavs were playing in their 112th playoff game.

James scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Cavs opened a 25-point lead over the Wizards, whose defensive scheme coming into their third series in as many years with Cleveland was to slow James by roughing him up with hard, clean fouls.

It may be time for Plan B.

The Wizards hardly bothered James, who finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds to barely missed his third career postseason triple-double. James went to the bench with 6:12 left. At that point, the Cavaliers were leading by 24 points and coach Mike Brown inserted seldom-used reserves Dwayne Jones and Damon Jones.

Wally Szczerbiak added 15 points for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who have struggled since a big trade in February changed their roster. As the playoffs neared, Arenas called the Cavs out, saying "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round" and "We don't think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight."

Those comments followed Wizards forward DeShawn Stevenson calling James "overrated."

Washington has lost eight straight games to Cleveland in the playoffs, and the Wizards will have to figure something out before Thursday night's Game 3 in Washington or they'll be heading off on summer vacation, again courtesy of the Cavs.

Arenas went just 2-for-10 from the field and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were both 4-of-13 as the Wizards' Big Three combined for 28 points. The trio spent much of the fourth quarter sitting and thinking about what happened and the task ahead.

James withstood more rough treatment by the Wizards.

In the third quarter, Washington center Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on James. Haywood didn't make much of an effort to go for the ball and shoved James hard with both hands as he drove.

Haywood, who had an altercation with James in Game 1, could face further discipline for the intentional foul.

It was hardly the only physical play.

In the first half, Arenas was called for a technical foul and Cleveland's Anderson Varejao was given a flagrant foul after hitting Washington's Andray Blatche in the face.

The Cavs were already up by 15 points when Haywood was ejected, but they fed off the play and pushed their lead to 25 early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Daniel Gibson, who finished with 13 points.

The Wizards' problem in Game 1 was they missed shots the down stretch with a chance to win. They were cold again, but this time it had a lot to do with Cleveland's defense. Washington shot 38 percent from the field, missed 11 free throws and was outrebounded 49-34.

The Cavaliers, who staggered into the postseason, played some of their best basketball in weeks to close out the second quarter.

With the score tied 36-all, Ilgauskas stepped outside to drop a jumper, triggering a 17-4 run that put the Cavs up 53-40 at halftime. Gibson made a 3-pointer and three free throws in the spurt and Szczerbiak made a jumper and scored on a rare drive to the basket.

But Cleveland's defense was the difference. James kept Arenas in check and Joe Smith did a nice job on Jamison. Szczerbiak, a scorer not known for his defense, handled Butler, who still isn't right because of a hip injury.

As the Cavaliers left the court, James patted Ilgauskas on the back and Cleveland fans saluted the best chemistry they've seen in a while.

It didn't take long for the Game 1 testiness to return.

Not long after checking in, Arenas was called for a foul as he bumped Szczerbiak from behind. An instant after the whistle, Arenas gave Cleveland's forward a halfhearted elbow and was slapped with the technical.

Varejao then paid back Blatche for his Game 1 clothesline of James by clubbing Washington's big man across the face and was assessed the flagrant foul.

Notes:@ Washington coach Eddie Jordan's message to the Wizards before Game 2: "Play harder, play better, play with more intensity, play smarter." ... The Cavaliers are 6-0 in series when they win Game 1, including 3-0 against the Wizards. ... Washington fell to 2-13 in their last 15 playoff games. ... The Wizards are 0-4 in Cleveland this season. The lost to the Cavs on Feb. 22, when Cleveland dressed just eight players one day after its three-team trade with Chicago and Seattle. - AP

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Williams helps Jazz head home with 2-0 lead over Rockets
04/22/2008 | 12:29 PM
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HOUSTON - Tracy McGrady disappeared again in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz took a commanding lead in their playoff series with the Houston Rockets.

Deron Williams shrugged off an ankle injury and scored 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 16 points and 16 rebounds as the Jazz beat the Rockets 90-84 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Utah, where the Jazz went 37-4 during the regular season.

McGrady, a seven-time All-Star who has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to just miss his first postseason triple-double. But he went 0-for-4 from the field and scored only one point in the final quarter as the Rockets lost to the Jazz for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings.

McGrady scored 20 points in Game 1, but went 0-for-3 in the fourth quarter as Utah won 93-82.

The Rockets still had their chances to win this one.

Luis Scola hit two free throws with 1:21 to go to cut Utah's lead to 85-82. Williams missed a driving layup and Bobby Jackson hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game but Scola was called for an offensive foul away from the ball when he pushed Andrei Kirilenko. Jackson rebounded from a 3-for-15 effort in Game 1 to score 18 points.

Kirilenko grabbed a key offensive rebound on Utah's next possession and Kyle Korver flipped in a one-handed shot as the shot clock expired to put the game out of reach with 20 seconds to go.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points and Williams had five assists for the Jazz, who closed the game with a 14-8 run. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Kevin Garnett wins NBA defensive player award
04/23/2008 | 08:35 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us WALTHAM, Mass. - When Kevin Garnett starts screaming, the Celtics' defense stops struggling. For all his assets — athleticism, intensity, intelligence — it's the ability to communicate with teammates that he considers the key to Boston's skill at shutting down opponents.

"I talk. I understand how defense works," he said after being selected the NBA defensive player of the year Tuesday. "Communication's probably the biggest thing when it comes to defense."

An outstanding defender throughout his previous 12 seasons, all with Minnesota, Garnett won the league award for the first time by a wide margin one day before Boston takes a 1-0 lead into Game 2 of the first-round series against Atlanta.

He had 90 of the 124 first-place votes and a total of 493 points. Marcus Camby of Denver, last year's winner, was second with 12 first and 178 points, just edging Shane Battier of Houston, who received 11 first-place votes and 175 points.

"Any award you're able to acquire in this league is a big deal," said Garnett, who would much prefer his first NBA championship. "At the end of the day, it's about winning."

The 6-foot-11, long-armed forward is the major factor behind the Celtics' climb from a mediocre defensive team to perhaps the best in the league. They held opponents to an NBA-low 41.9 field goal percentage after allowing them to hit 46.8 percent of their shots last season. And they allowed just 90.3 points per game, second-fewest in the league, after giving up 99.2 last year.

No surprise, then, that Boston improved from 24-58 last season to 66-16, the NBA's best record, after trading for Garnett last summer.

"He's changed our culture defensively," coach Doc Rivers said. "That's the most important thing, just the team part of it. Individually, he's been fantastic, but I think his presence for the team is what stood out."

Paul Pierce was surprised that Garnett hadn't won the award before.

"He's been the class of the NBA defensively for a long time now," Pierce said. "He just anchors our defense. He controls the paint, blocks shots, a lot of things that don't show up in the stat sheet, with his talking."

Center Kendrick Perkins is having the best of his five seasons with Boston and credits some of that to Garnett.

"You never know how valuable he is until you've played with him," Perkins said. "He controls the whole court. He's the only player besides Kobe Bryant that I've seen control the whole court."

Garnett is able to recognize early what opponents are doing and tell his teammates. He guides them to the right spots. Team defense, he said, is the key to stopping teams. No surprise, then, that Garnett credits his teammates with making his award possible.

He spoke up after practice Tuesday to tell them that.

"I got my teammates and my coaches together and said that when a team does well you can really pick anybody on this team" for the award, Garnett said. "Defense is not a one-man thing. It's totally a team effort."

He averaged 1.2 blocks, 1.4 steals and 7.3 defensive rebounds to go with 18.8 points and 9.2 total rebounds per game.

His decibel level was high, too.

"You have to be able to talk, understand what's about to happen and then, obviously, speak on it," he said, "and talk loudly because sometimes you're on the road and you're dealing with (noisy) crowds."

The crowd will be very noisy Wednesday night, but it will be rooting for the Celtics against the Hawks in the best-of-seven series between the top and bottom seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The defense excelled in Sunday night's opener, a 104-81 win in which Boston held Atlanta to 38.2 percent shooting.

"You should see him in shootaround" before a game, Perkins said. "We're going over the other team's plays. He's very focused and he wants everybody else to lock in. Team defense is key. ... He gives us our whole swagger as far as how we're the bad guys. We chose to be the bad guys of the league right now."

And if some Celtics don't believe it, they're sure to hear it from Garnett.

"Doc always says I'm the talkative one out of the group. I beg to differ. I debate strongly," he said, before admitting the obvious. "I'm just so happy to be the one that speaks louder than all those guys.

"You could have pretty much gone through our whole roster and picked out a (solid) defensive guy," Garnett said. "That's what we are. That's our identity." - AP

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Paul leads New Orleans to 2-0 lead over Dallas
04/23/2008 | 09:44 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us NEW ORLEANS - Chris Paul had 32 points and a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading New Orleans to a 127-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night that gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. - AP

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Howard has another 20-20 game as Magic take 2-0 lead over Raptors
04/23/2008 | 10:36 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us ORLANDO, Fla. - Dwight Howard had 29 points and 20 rebounds, his second straight 20-20 game, and the Orlando Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 104-103 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Chris Bosh had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, but missed a 19-footer with 1.9 seconds left that could have won the game. Jason Kapono scored 20 points, Jose Calderon had 18 and Carlos Delfino added 16 for the Raptors.

Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each scored 18 for Orlando. Hedo Turkoglu made the go-ahead layup and finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Toronto, which trailed most of the game, took a 101-100 lead with 1:04 left on three consecutive 3-pointers, one from Delfino and two by Calderon, plus a free throw by Delfino.

But Turkoglu drove the lane for an acrobatic layup to put Orlando back on top, 102-101, then sank two free throws to push the lead to three points. Delfino made another layup to make it 104-103 with 9.6 seconds left, and the Raptors immediately got the ball back after Orlando's Keyon Dooling was called for an offensive foul on the inbounds pass.

Toronto isolated Bosh for the last shot, but it was no good.

Howard was the first player in nearly 40 years to record consecutive playoff games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. The last was the San Francisco Warriors' Nate Thurmond in the 1968-69 playoffs.

The game was much more physical than Sunday's series opener. Turkoglu was called for a flagrant foul in the second quarter defending Bosh. The Raptors star had just stolen a pass and had a clear shot at the basket when Turkoglu caught up with him, pushing Bosh hard to the ground.

Howard picked up a technical in the third quarter jawing with Delfino after the making a layup, plus the foul on the guard in the third quarter.

The Raptors took their first lead of the series in the third quarter, using a 7-0 run to go ahead 64-59. Orlando was 0-for-5 to start the quarter, but regained an 81-71 lead after Nelson's two 3-pointers and Howard's bucket that preceded his technical.

For the second straight game, Toronto got buried in a double-digit deficit in the opening minutes — this time from inside. Orlando was only 1-of-5 on 3-pointers in the period after a 9-of-11 performance in Game 1, but opened a 26-8 lead on Nelson's slash to the bucket 8:04 into the game.

The Magic had five dunks in the first six minutes — including three in a row on fast breaks off a steal (two by Turkoglu and one from Lewis).

The Raptors, who tied a franchise playoff low with eight turnovers in Game 1, had that many in the first 13 minutes.

But they closed the gap in the second quarter with a 15-5 run over 3:05. Kapono hit two 3s in the span and scored 13 in the quarter. Bosh, guarded by Magic reserve center Adonal Foyle and Howard instead of Lewis, as in Game 1, also had 13 in the period on 4-of-6 shooting. The Raptors finally tied it at 55 with Calderon's layup a minute before the half, then trailed 59-57 at halftime.

Notes:@ Raptors C Rasho Nesterovic, who had 16 points and eight rebounds in Game 1, started but played only five minutes. ... Orlando has won five of six series in which it was victorious in Game 1. The lone exception was in 2003 against Detroit. ... Bosh missed his first free throw in 40 consecutive attempts this season against the Magic early in the second quarter. He entered the game 38-of-38. ... The Raptors are 2-8 all-time on the road in the playoffs. ... Two lane violations were called on the same Howard free throw attempt in the second quarter — the first on Kapono, the second on Howard. He missed both tries. - AP

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Ex-Sonics owner sues to rescind sale of team
04/23/2008 | 11:05 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us SEATTLE - Former SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz filed suit Tuesday to undo his sale of the team to an Oklahoma City-based group led by Clay Bennett, saying Bennett lied to him by insisting he planned to keep the NBA franchise in Seattle.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks to deprive Bennett's group of "the fruits of its deception" by rescinding the sale, and described Bennett's actions as "fraud." Schultz and his co-owners never would have sold the Sonics if they thought the new owners would move them out of town, the complaint said.

Starbucks Corp. Chairman Schultz is asking a judge to hold the team in trust until an "honest buyer" can be found who will keep the team in Seattle.

A spokesman for Bennett declined to comment Tuesday.

Bennett's Professional Basketball Club bought the team from Schultz in July 2006, and Bennett publicly insisted he planned to keep the Sonics in Seattle. On July 16 of that year, he wrote a side letter to Schultz denying any intentions to move the Sonics or the WNBA's Seattle Storm: "It is our desire to have the Sonics and Storm continue their existence in the Greater Seattle area," Bennett wrote, according to Schultz's complaint.

"That statement was false from the moment it was made," Seattle attorney Richard C. Yarmuth wrote in the complaint. "The Oklahoma City group's true intention ... was to move the team to Oklahoma City at the earliest possible time."

The complaint also disclosed the existence of an e-mail from Bennett to his co-owners two days before the sale, saying that if a new arena deal was reached to keep the Sonics in Seattle, the Professional Basketball Club could just sell the team in a "sweet flip," and still leave the ownership group "in good shape for something in OKC."

"This recently discovered e-mail makes clear that the Oklahoma City group never intended to own a team that would continue playing in Seattle," the complaint said.

The NBA's Board of Governors voted last Friday to approve the Sonics' move to Oklahoma. When asked that day about the possibility of a lawsuit by Schultz, Bennett said: "Well, I operated in good faith and that will be vetted through the trial and be clear. And further, I was disappointed because I've had a nice relationship with Howard, and I have not spoken with him about this issue, and I made a commitment to him personally, as well, that was meaningful to me and I hail to that commitment."

Bennett's group is also facing two other hurdles in its efforts to move the Sonics: a federal lawsuit brought by the city of Seattle, seeking to force the team to remain at KeyArena through the end of its lease in 2010; and a federal lawsuit brought by fans who say they were duped into buying season tickets under the premise the team would stay. - AP

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Parker scores 32; Spurs whip Suns for 2-0 lead
04/23/2008 | 01:04 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us SAN ANTONIO - Tony Parker scored 32 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 102-96 victory over Phoenix in Game 2 on Tuesday night after the Suns gave away another double-digit, first-half lead.

This time, the Spurs didn't need two overtimes and a few amazing shots to put away the Suns. The Spurs were down by as many as 14 in the first half before outscoring Phoenix 27-11 in the third quarter.

The Spurs still had to withstand a fourth-quarter surge that got the Suns within five points with 14 seconds to play, but the defending champions now head to Arizona for Friday's Game 3 with a 2-0 lead and home-court advantage in tact.

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 33 points.

The Spurs went up by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter after taking control in the third. But Steve Nash led a 10-0 run to bring Phoenix within 96-91 with 2:44 left on the clock.

Tim Duncan, who finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds, had a monster dunk with 1:47 to play and Parker followed with a bucket to put San Antonio back up 101-93.

Then Stoudemire hit a rare 3-pointer with 14 seconds left — a la Duncan's game-saving 3 in Game 1 — to make it 101-96. After that the Suns resorted to fouling and it was too late. - AP

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Italy's leading scorer says he's eligible for NBA draft
04/23/2008 | 10:33 PM
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MILAN, Italy - Danilo Gallinari, the leading scorer in the Italian basketball league, declared himself eligible for the NBA draft Wednesday.

With one game remaining in the regular season, the 19-year-old Gallinari is averaging 17.5 points per game, 39.8 percent from 3-point range and 5.6 rebounds with Armani Jeans Milano.

At 2.05 meters (6-foot-9) and 95 kilograms (209 pounds), Gallinari is hoping to be a top 15 pick. He plays guard or forward.

"An athlete has to evaluate what challenges you want to win over the course of your career," Gallinari said on his Web site. "I think the challenges are mostly with yourself, knowing to put yourself into play not only when you feel ready but when destiny presents you with a chance."

Also Wednesday, Gallinari won the Rising Star award in the Euroleague as the best player under 22.

The draft is scheduled for June 26 and Gallinari will have until June 16 to decide to stay in or not.

Gallinari is hoping to be the third Italian selected in three years.

The Toronto Raptors took Andrea Bargnani with the top pick in 2006, and Marco Belinelli was chosen 18th by the Golden State Warriors last year. - AP

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Pistons even series with Game 2 rout of 76ers
04/24/2008 | 11:09 AM
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Rasheed Wallace had another good game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Unlike the series opener, a few Detroit Pistons starters helped him out.

Wallace scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and Detroit went on to beat Philadelphia 105-88 in Game 2 on Wednesday night to even the first-round series.

The Pistons had four scorers in double figures as it took a 17-point halftime lead, while the 76ers had only Andre Miller, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half.

In their 90-86 Game 1 loss, the Pistons blew a 15-point they built midway through the third quarter.

Detroit refused to let the young Sixers rally again.

The Pistons seemed to play with a sense of urgency, swarming the Sixers on defense and relentlessly going after offensive rebounds for second and third chances.

Chauncey Billups made a 3-pointer early in the third — his first field goal — and made another from beyond the arc later in the quarter to put Detroit ahead 73-47.

The Pistons didn't have any trouble holding onto the lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia.

In Sunday's loss, Wallace had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

His fellow starters combined to makes less than one-third of their shots and missed key free throws.

Wallace and Co. put together a balanced attack in Game 2.

Each of the starters shot at least 50 percent through three quarters and four of them had 16 points, then all but Richard Hamilton rested in the fourth.

Hamilton finished with 20 points, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess both added 16 and rookie Rodney Stuckey had 12 after being held scoreless in his playoff debut.

Philadelphia reserves Louis Williams (17), Reggie Evans (13) and Rodney Carney (11) each scored career playoff highs.

Sixers star Andre Iguodala got off to another rough start. Unlike Game 1, he didn't bounce back. Iguodala was scoreless in the first half on 0-for-7 shooting and finished with four points after averaging 20 in the regular season and scoring 16 Sunday.

Miller was the only Philadelphia starter who played well when the game was close.

Samuel Dalembert had three points — giving him eight in the series — Thaddeus Young scored 11 and Willie Green added six points after setting a career playoff high with 17 in the opener.

After three quarters, Philadelphia's four reservers were outscoring its starters 41-34 despite getting a lot less playing time.

Notes:@ There was a moment of silence before the game for longtime NBA referee Darell Garretson, who died Monday. ... Perhaps more than any coach in the league, Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks engaged the regular hecklers that sit behind the visitors' bench at The Palace. When one fan was shouting 40-42 — referring to the team's regular season record — Cheeks smiled and replied, "We're 1-0." ... Hamilton was called for a technical foul in the third quarter. - AP