2008 NBA Playoffs

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Smith soars over Celtics as Hawks trim series deficit to 2-1
04/27/2008 | 11:36 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us ATLANTA - Led by high-flying Josh Smith, the Atlanta Hawks finally showed they can beat the Boston Celtics. Good timing.

Smith scored 27 points — and give him a perfect 10 in his own personal dunking contest — to lead the Hawks to a 102-93 victory Saturday night that breathed life into their long-shot playoff hopes, cutting Boston's lead in the opening-round series to 2-1.

Atlanta earned its first playoff win since May 16, 1999, a Game 5 clincher over the Detroit Pistons. The Hawks were swept by New York in the next round, then spent nine long years trying to get back to the postseason.

After getting blown out twice in Boston, Smith and the Hawks seemed to take out all their frustrations on a 66-win Celtics team that finished 29 games ahead of eighth-seeded Atlanta during the regular season. When the buzzer sounded, streamers fell from the ceiling of Philips Arena as if the home team had just won a championship.

The Hawks, who went 37-45 during the regular season, are still huge underdogs. But for one night at least, Smith had the rim rockin' and the sellout crowd of 19,725 on its feet.

Smith, one of the NBA's most athletic players, showed it off with five dunks — none better than the last one. After a Boston turnover, Joe Johnson took off down the right side of the court and passed off to Smith breaking down the other wing. He took off a good 10 feet from the basket and slammed it through over Ray Allen.

With the crowd still buzzing over that one, Smith pulled up behind the arc and hit a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 94-79 lead with just under 7 minutes left. He backpedaled all the way down the court, then slapped hands with the playoff-starved Atlanta fans on the baseline.

Johnson added 23 points and Mike Bibby — who riled up the Boston faithful with his comments about "fair-weather" fans — bounced back from two dismal games by doling out eight assists. Showing much better ball movement and a willingness to run with the Celtics, the Hawks improved from 10 assists in Game 2 to 28 on Saturday.

Smith, Johnson and rookie Al Horford all had six assists.

Kevin Garnett led Boston with 32 points, but the NBA's youngest playoff team had him kneeling over, looking totally exhausted, by the end of the game.

The Celtics had manhandled Atlanta all year, beating the Hawks three times during the regular season — none of the games was closer than 10 points — then routing them twice in Boston by an average margin of 21 points to start this series.

With everyone thinking sweep, the Hawks made sure the series will at least get back to Boston for a fifth game. They'll try to even it up in Game 4 Monday night at Philips Arena.

Horford, a rookie who knows a thing or two about winning from his two straight national championships at Florida, tried to fire up his teammates by showing them a video of Muhammad Ali's stunning win over George Foreman in 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle."

This upset was hardly of that magnitude, but it did give the Hawks a glimmer of hope in a series that already looked to be over.

Horford even showed a bit of contempt for the big, bad Celtics after hitting a clinching jumper with 22 seconds remaining. He got right in Paul Pierce's face, prompting the Boston star to walk toward the Atlanta bench, jawing and flashing hand gestures before he was yanked back.

Horford danced away and kept right on talking.

Pierce, who was bodyslammed to the court in Game 2, played 36 minutes with a stiff back and wasn't much of a factor. He managed 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Allen was 5-of-14 and held to 13 points, leaving Garnett to carry the Big Three. He also had 10 rebounds. - AP

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Utah Jazz beat Rockets to take 3-1 series lead
04/27/2008 | 03:38 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us SALT LAKE CITY - Deron Williams scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 86-82 on Saturday night for a 3-1 series lead.

Mehmet Okur added 14 points and 18 rebounds, grabbing the biggest board of the game when Williams went 0-for-2 from the line with 7.3 seconds left and Utah only ahead by two.

The Rockets host Game 5 Tuesday and need a win to keep the series going.

Houston cut a 16-point third quarter deficit to a point and made a great push at the end after Shane Battier and Rafer Alston made 3-pointers in the final minute to get the Rockets back within two. Kyle Korver answered with two free throws for Utah to make it 84-80 with 12.5 seconds left, then after Carl Landry putback an offensive rebound, Williams had a chance to seal it for the Jazz.

He missed both attempts, but Okur was there for the offensive rebound and hit both free throws with 5.5 seconds to go. It was too much for the Rockets to overcome and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko added an exclamatory block as the buzzer sounded and the Jazz left the court one win away from advancing.

Tracy McGrady, who is 0-6 in playoff series, scored 23 points to lead the Rockets. Only four came in the fourth quarter. McGrady was taunted with the chant "Over-Rated!" when he went to the foul line late in the game after another quiet fourth period.

Through four games, he has scored a total of 12 in the final quarter — and seven of those came in an 94-92 win in Game 3 that revived the Rockets' hopes of going back to Houston with a possible 2-2 tie. Instead, it's a 3-1 deficit to the Jazz, who won the first two games at the Toyota Center.

The Jazz were 0-for-14 on 3-pointers, but strong enough to make up for it inside. Carlos Boozer added 14 points and 14 rebounds, Kirilenko scored 11 and Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and two blocks as all five Utah starters scored in double figures.

After falling behind by 16 early in the third quarter, Houston rallied to get within five points at the end of the period and continued to push early in the fourth to almost completely erase Utah's lead. Bobby Jackson and Landry hit two free throws each and Alston took a steal in all alone for a layup to cut the lead down to 68-67 with 10:39 left in the game.

Williams took control for Utah by driving for two layups to start an 8-0 run. Matt Harpring knocked the ball out of McGrady's hands, Williams bounced a pass to Boozer in the lane for an easy basket, then Korver made a 19-footer that put Utah back ahead 76-67 with 6 minutes left.

McGrady didn't score in the fourth until his layup over Boozer got Houston within 76-69 with 5:40 remaining. He had a chance to get the Rockets within two, but went 1-for-2 from the foul line twice.

McGrady also led Houston with eight assists and 10 rebounds, but the Rockets were outrebounded 48-41. - AP

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West’s 3 lifts Cavs over Wizards 100-97 in Game 4

WASHINGTON (AP)—King James lost his crown.

All right, so it was his burgundy headband that went flying when LeBron James took a shot to the noggin from DeShawn Stevenson, their simmering feud nearly boiling over. James kept his cool, allowing the flagrant foul to spark him and his Cleveland Cavaliers.

At game’s end, James was just as collected, drawing waves of Washington Wizards defenders before dishing to Delonte West for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left. That shot, along with James’ 34 points and 12 rebounds, led the Cavaliers to a 100-97 victory on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.

“There’s been some extracurricular activities going on outside and inside this series,” James said, “but I’ve been able to stay focused.”

The Wizards were ahead by a point with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half when James drove to the basket, and Stevenson came from behind and swiped a hand out, clipping the Cavs’ star with what James said teammates told him was a closed fist before tumbling to the court. James kept his balance and stepped toward Stevenson, who got up and stepped toward James.

They exchanged words, but that was it, before teammates stepped in between.

“If we was on the park, something definitely would have escalated,” James said. “But, you know, I guess that’s what they want to do. They want to hurt LeBron James this series. It ain’t working.”

Stevenson’s take?

“That’s how it goes,” he said. “It was a big game for us.”

Now the Cavaliers, who eliminated the Wizards in each of the previous two postseasons, have control, with Game 5 on Wednesday at Cleveland.

James got help Sunday from more than just West, whose career playoff-high 21 points included five 3-pointers. Daniel Gibson made four 3s, and Ben Wallace had 12 rebounds—part of a remarkable 51-31 edge on the boards for Cleveland.

One small sequence that epitomized things: At the end of the third quarter, Joe Smith’s three-point play followed two offensive rebounds and gave the Cavaliers an 80-73 edge.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan was succinct: “We didn’t rebound.”

Antawn Jamison led Washington with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Caron Butler added 19 points. But it was Stevenson who was at the center of the key play.

LeBron vs. DeShawn had been mainly an off-court rivalry, prompted in part by Stevenson calling James overrated, and extending to involve rap megastar Jay-Z and one-hit wonder Soulja Boy. James’ pal Jay-Z created a song dissing Stevenson that was played at a D.C. club this weekend.

“He’s worth $500 million, and he’s writing songs about me,” Stevenson said before tipoff. “What does that say about DeShawn Stevenson? Ballin’!”

But besides getting outscored by 21 points by James, Stevenson appeared to give him some motivation.

“Was it a flagrant foul? I really don’t know,” said Wizards center Brendan Haywood, ejected from Game 2 after shoving James. “All I know is we weren’t trying to give up a layup.”

James went 1-for-2 at the line after the foul, then made a 3 on the ensuing possession, all part of a 13-0 Cavaliers spurt.

“That,” Gilbert Arenas said, “got him mad.”

And yet, thanks to a suddenly effective Arenas, Washington had a chance to win what turned out to be a gem of a game, a nice change after Cleveland’s 30-point victory in Game 2, and Washington’s 36-point margin in Game 3.

Arenas made two free throws with 57 seconds left to get Washington within two points. After James missed a jumper—part of an 0-for-3 fourth quarter— Arenas’ 8-foot fadeaway with 28 seconds remaining made it 97-all.

And from there, as West put it: “I’m pretty sure everybody in the gym, including their defense, thought (James) was going to take the last shot. And I think sometimes we forget this guy has great court vision. He made the right play.”

Which was dishing to an open West, who went to high school in nearby Maryland.

It was strikingly similar to what happened in the first-round series between these teams in 2006. That time, the Cavaliers eliminated the Wizards in Game 6 when James found Damon Jones open for a go-ahead baseline jumper in the closing seconds of overtime.

“Washington definitely probably had a flashback,” James said.

Even after West came through, Arenas had enough time to try to tie it again.

But a player who built a re:"tion for clutch late-game performances before having two operations on his left knee hesitated before badly missing a 3 over West.

Arenas was so “distracted” and “flustered” by the way things ended, he forgot about his postgame ritual of throwing his jersey into the stands to give a fan a souvenir.

Whatever emotional lift he might have given his teammates, whatever excitement his mere presence might have given the crowd, Arenas was not exactly helpful at the outset. When he sat with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, his line gave whole new meaning to his nickname “Agent Zero”: zero points, zero field-goal attempts, zero foul shots, one assist, one foul, and four of Washington’s five turnovers.

Arenas’ first points didn’t come until a reverse layup in the third quarter, and he finished with 10 in a series-high 32 minutes.

“This is not my team,” Arenas said. “This is Antawn’s and Caron’s team.”

Notes

Above Stevenson’s locker, there was a sheet of blue construction paper Jordan gave his players before the series began. Drawn by a member of team’s basketball operations department at Jordan’s behest, it’s labeled “Wizards Climb” and includes drawings and phrases meant to inspire. There are stick-figure men swimming to “.500” shore, others are climbing a rock labeled “Cleveland.” There are boxes around words such as “Disciplined Aggression” and “Will and Determination.”

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Diaw’s near triple-double leads Suns’ 105-86 rout of Spurs

PHOENIX (AP)—There was no San Antonio sweep, not even close.

Boris Diaw had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in one of the best playoff performances of his career, and the Phoenix Suns stayed alive with a 105-86 rout of the Spurs on Sunday.

Raja Bell scored 21 of his 27 points in a dominant first half to help Phoenix bring a one-sided end to the defending NBA champions’ nine-game playoff winning streak. The Suns were 11-0 in the regular season when Bell scored at least 20.

Phoenix still trails the first-round series 3-1, with Game 5 on Tuesday night in San Antonio. No NBA team has come back from 0-3 to win a series.

Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa scored 15 apiece for the Suns. Shaquille O’Neal had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni drew two technicals and was ejected with 3:38 to play and his team up 104-80.

Diaw, starting in place of injured Grant Hill, also led the Suns’ vastly improved defense, guarding his good friend and fellow Frenchman Tony Parker much of the game.

Parker, who scored a career-high 41 in Game 3 and was averaging 33 in the series, led San Antonio with 18 points and Manu Ginobili scored 10.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich threw in the towel by benching both of them along with Tim Duncan late in the third quarter.

After watching the Spurs play to near-perfection in a 115-99 victory on Friday, the Suns were the aggressors from the start on Sunday.

Phoenix led by 21 after one quarter, by as many as 24 in the second and by 30 in the third.

Nash’s 15-footer gave the Suns a 79-49 lead with 5:50 left in the third quarter. With Parker and Duncan on the bench, San Antonio cut it to 22 late in the quarter, but it was 93-65 entering the fourth.

Bell shot 6-of-7, 3-for-4 on 3-pointers to lead Phoenix to a 65-43 halftime lead. Diaw scored 10 points in the half.

The Suns never led in Game 3, but built big advantages early in the first two games, only to lose at the end. Their first-quarter start Sunday was their best yet.

Diaw’s shot over Ginobili inside made it 11-1, and it was 20-9 after Barbosa’s driving layup with 5:41 left in the first. It was 34-13 after one.

San Antonio was 4-for-19 shooting with six turnovers in the first two quarters.

The Spurs cut it to 12 three times in the second quarter, the last at 49-37 on Ginobili’s 15-foot bank shot with 4:55 to go. Phoenix, though, scored the next 12—six on free throws by Bell—to go up 61-37 on Diaw’s layup with 1:33 left in the half.

Notes

Hill sat after being slowed by a sore right groin in the first three games. … The 22-point lead was the largest in any playoff game this year. … San Antonio shot 38 percent in the first half (16-of-42). … Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim were in the crowd. Krzyzewski is head coach of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. Boeheim and D’Antoni are assistants. … Phoenix had two turnovers in the first half, while San Antonio had nine.

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West's 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left gives Cavs 3-1 lead
04/28/2008 | 08:31 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us WASHINGTON - King James got his crown knocked off, was booed every time he touched the ball, went 0-for-3 in the fourth quarter and passed up a chance to take the winning shot. And his Cleveland Cavaliers still beat the Washington Wizards.

LeBron James had 34 points and 12 rebounds, and dished the ball to Delonte West for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left Sunday, helping the Cavaliers get past the Wizards 100-97 to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.

After Cleveland's 30-point victory in Game 2, and Washington's 36-point margin in Game 3, these teams that know each other so well finally produced a gem of a game. Cleveland led by 15 in the third quarter, but Washington came back, with Gilbert Arenas capping the rally.

He made two free throws with 57 seconds left to get Washington within two points, and after James missed a jumper, Arenas' 8-foot fadeaway with 28 seconds remaining made it 97-all. James dribbled out the clock before finding West, whose career playoff-high 21 points included five of Cleveland's 13 3-pointers.

Arenas, who built a re:"tion for clutch late-game performances before having two operations on his left knee, then tried to pull Washington even at the buzzer, but badly missed a 3 try over West.

Now James' Cavaliers, who eliminated the Wizards in each of the previous two postseasons, have control, with Game 5 on Wednesday at Cleveland.

Saddled by foul trouble, James was hardly as aggressive late as he was early. When he dunked following a Wizards turnover to make it 51-41 late in the first half, James already was up to 22 points — his total for Game 3.

Still, little came easily, and his simmering feud with Washington guard DeShawn Stevenson nearly bubbled over late in the second quarter.

James drove to the basket, and Stevenson came from behind and swiped a hand out, missing the ball but clipping the Cavs' star in the head. James' burgundy headband came off and went flying, while Stevenson fell to the court. James kept his balance and stepped toward Stevenson, who got up and stepped toward James.

They exchanged words, but that was it, before teammates stepped in to separate the pair. Stevenson was called for a flagrant foul, and after James went 1-for-2 at the line, he made a 3.

That was part of a 13-0 Cavaliers run during which James scored nine points, putting the visitors ahead 44-39 en route to a 54-44 halftime lead — a margin helped by Washington's 4-for-21 shooting in the second quarter.

James heard jeers even when standing on the sideline for an inbounds play. He heard about it, loudly, on a couple of occasions when he tossed up airballs.

After James complained about a foul call on teammate Ben Wallace, fans reprised their chants of "ov-er-ra-ted!" from Game 3. Unlike in Thursday's loss, when he laughed it off, James didn't react this time, although seconds later he threw away a pass. Then again, seconds after that, he knifed through the lane for a resounding slam.

Other than him and West, only one other Cavs player scored in double figures, Daniel Gibson with 12. Antawn Jamison led Washington with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Caron Butler added 19 points.

One very key stat: The Cavaliers held a 51-31 rebounding advantage, including two offensive boards in a row that led to Joe Smith's three-point play to make it 80-73 heading into the fourth.

Arenas was in the starting lineup again, wearing a black sleeve and blue knee pad on his left leg.

Whatever emotional lift he might have given his teammates, whatever excitement his mere presence in uniform might have given the crowd, Arenas was not exactly helpful with the ball in his hands. By the time he sat with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, his line gave whole new meaning to his nickname "Agent Zero": zero points, zero field-goal attempts, zero foul shots, one assist, one foul, and four of Washington's five turnovers.

Arenas' first points didn't come until a reverse layup in the third quarter, and he finished with 10 in a series-high 32 minutes.

The Cavaliers went up by as many as 15 points, at 67-52 on James' 3 early in the third quarter, but the Wizards used a 12-0 spurt to make things interesting. - AP

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Prince, Wallace help Pistons even series vs 76ers, 2-2
04/28/2008 | 10:35 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us PHILADELPHIA - The Pistons squashed all that chatter about heading home with a series deficit. Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points and made all but one shot from the field, and Detroit played with a purpose and dominated the second half to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 93-84 on Sunday night, tying the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.

Game 5 is Tuesday night at Detroit.

The Sixers pumped up the crowd when they played season highlights set to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." Then Detroit guaranteed its season won't unexpectedly cut-to-black.

All the euphoria the Sixers created after a 20-point win in Game 3 only grew as they raced to a 14-point first-half lead. The younger, faster, confident Sixers were taking it to the aging, slumping Pistons yet again.

Then those 59-win Pistons showed up in the third quarter. They haven't reached five straight Eastern Conference finals by losing two straight road games to the seventh seed in the first round.

That combined 4-for-14 first half from Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace? Forgotten after they drilled consecutive 3-pointers. Prince — 11-for-12 from the floor — followed with a baseline layup to cap an 11-0 spurt early in the third and gave the Pistons their first lead of the game, 47-46.

Wallace, perhaps fired up after he was T'd up in the final seconds of the first half, hit two more 3s that whipped a 14-point deficit all the way around to a 60-53 lead.

The Pistons picked up the defensive pressure and forced seven turnovers in the third. Detroit played like the 76ers did in Game 3, with active hands in the lane and pressure up top that rattled the upstart home team.

Wallace finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton bounced back from a 1-for-10 first half to finish with 18 points. Billups also scored 18 points.

Antonio McDyess did not start but scored 10 points a day after he had surgery to repair a broken nose. McDyess wore a mask to protect the nose broken in the third quarter of Game 3.

Nothing can protect Andre Iguodala from more criticism about his awful playoff series.

76ers coach Maurice Cheeks answered even more pregame questions about the need for the slumping forward to start scoring big baskets. Iguodala showed early promise and made his first three shots, then collapsed again and finished with only 12 points.

He missed 10 of his final 11 shots and misfired on several wild attempts to try and seemingly win the game all by himself.

Samuel Dalembert had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Andre Miller and Willie Green each scored 13 points.

Iguodala appeared to have ended his slump when he faked Jarvis Hayes, spun away from his fallen defender and buried the jumper for his prettiest bucket of the series. The play was nothing more than a brief flash of his regular-season self.

Lou Williams grabbed a loose ball off a defensive deflection and sprinted the length of the court for a dunk and a 10-point lead. Rodney Carney drilled a 3 and Miller's layup made it 45-31 for Philly's largest lead of the half.

Wallace, whose jumper early in the first matched his point total for Game 3, screamed at the official after he was called for an offense foul and was quickly whistled for a technical. Wallace continued to bark at the refs even as his teammates tried to block him out on the bench and prevent a possible ejection.

The Pistons trailed 46-36 at the break, but perhaps the tone was set to take off in the second half.

Notes:@ Injured Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins was at the game and waved his rally towel. First baseman Ryan Howard sent a videotaped message of support. ... Wallace cracked up when the 76ers showed a "separated at birth" timeout video comparing an open mouth shot of him next to Jimmie Walker's "JJ" character from "Good Times." - AP

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Hornets near 2nd round NBA playoffs with win vs Mavs
04/28/2008 | 12:33 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us DALLAS - David West hardly said a word the last two days. That meant trouble for the Dallas Mavericks.

West let out his pent-up frustration over a poor Game 3 with a determined effort in Game 4, scoring 10 of his 24 points in a quick stretch early in the second half to help the New Orleans Hornets pull away for a 97-84 victory Sunday and a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.

The Hornets hadn't won in Dallas over 14 tries since January 1998. This victory means they might not have to come back until next season. They can eliminate the Mavericks by winning Game 5 on Tuesday night in New Orleans.

Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 20 points, but they didn't get much help. Josh Howard was 3-for-16 and Jason Kidd had only three points, three assists and four rebounds before getting ejected with 7:16 left for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo. Thousands of fans bailed out soon after, then a guy down the row from team owner Mark Cuban got tossed, too.

The meltdown — in this game, in this series and since being up 2-0 on Miami in the finals two years ago — might end up costing coach Avery Johnson his job. His Mavs went from scoring 30 points in the first quarter to 40 in the entire second half, putting them on the brink of a second straight first-round exit.

Chris Paul again wasn't as dominant as he was the first two games in New Orleans, but still played a big role in getting the first road win of his playoff career, notching 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Peja Stojakovic scored 19 points and Julian Wright added 11, including a tremendous dunk off a midcourt steal of Jerry Stackhouse, a play that emphasized the difference in the age and athleticism of these teams.

Pargo also scored 11 and Morris Peterson had 10, as the Hornets hit 50 percent of their shots.

West was 10-of-21, but the most important part came at the start of the second half, when New Orleans turned a 48-44 halftime lead into a 64-51 advantage.

West made all four shots he took in that spurt and added a pair of free throws. All came against Erick Dampier, including a 1-hander that prompted an immediate timeout by Johnson and a huge chest bump from Paul. West never hit anything like that in Game 3, when he started 3-of-14 and finished 6-of-20, sending him into a shell.

Hornets coach Byron Scott said before the game he considered that a good sign.

"D-West kind of goes internal. He doesn't talk a whole lot," Scott said. "So I look for him to come out super-aggressive."

Several Hornets said Saturday they thought they'd taken Dallas' best shot in Game 3 and could handle it from here. It sure didn't seem like it when the Mavericks came out taking turns going to the basket and getting out in transition. They didn't take many jumpers, but hit most they did take, and were up 32-23 early in the second quarter. Then Johnson had to dip deeper into his bench and it all fell apart.

Even with Pargo running the offense instead of Paul, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, with Wright's big dunk coming in that spurt.

Johnson went back to his starters, but they played the rest of the half as if they'd used up their allotment of time in the paint during the first quarter, settling for jumpers. The best evidence was their free throws — not a single one in the period. They shot just 16 for the game, after averaging 38.3 over the first three games. - AP

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Hornets near 2nd round NBA playoffs with win vs Mavs
04/28/2008 | 12:33 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us DALLAS - David West hardly said a word the last two days. That meant trouble for the Dallas Mavericks.

West let out his pent-up frustration over a poor Game 3 with a determined effort in Game 4, scoring 10 of his 24 points in a quick stretch early in the second half to help the New Orleans Hornets pull away for a 97-84 victory Sunday and a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.

The Hornets hadn't won in Dallas over 14 tries since January 1998. This victory means they might not have to come back until next season. They can eliminate the Mavericks by winning Game 5 on Tuesday night in New Orleans.

Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 20 points, but they didn't get much help. Josh Howard was 3-for-16 and Jason Kidd had only three points, three assists and four rebounds before getting ejected with 7:16 left for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo. Thousands of fans bailed out soon after, then a guy down the row from team owner Mark Cuban got tossed, too.

The meltdown — in this game, in this series and since being up 2-0 on Miami in the finals two years ago — might end up costing coach Avery Johnson his job. His Mavs went from scoring 30 points in the first quarter to 40 in the entire second half, putting them on the brink of a second straight first-round exit.

Chris Paul again wasn't as dominant as he was the first two games in New Orleans, but still played a big role in getting the first road win of his playoff career, notching 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Peja Stojakovic scored 19 points and Julian Wright added 11, including a tremendous dunk off a midcourt steal of Jerry Stackhouse, a play that emphasized the difference in the age and athleticism of these teams.

Pargo also scored 11 and Morris Peterson had 10, as the Hornets hit 50 percent of their shots.

West was 10-of-21, but the most important part came at the start of the second half, when New Orleans turned a 48-44 halftime lead into a 64-51 advantage.

West made all four shots he took in that spurt and added a pair of free throws. All came against Erick Dampier, including a 1-hander that prompted an immediate timeout by Johnson and a huge chest bump from Paul. West never hit anything like that in Game 3, when he started 3-of-14 and finished 6-of-20, sending him into a shell.

Hornets coach Byron Scott said before the game he considered that a good sign.

"D-West kind of goes internal. He doesn't talk a whole lot," Scott said. "So I look for him to come out super-aggressive."

Several Hornets said Saturday they thought they'd taken Dallas' best shot in Game 3 and could handle it from here. It sure didn't seem like it when the Mavericks came out taking turns going to the basket and getting out in transition. They didn't take many jumpers, but hit most they did take, and were up 32-23 early in the second quarter. Then Johnson had to dip deeper into his bench and it all fell apart.

Even with Pargo running the offense instead of Paul, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, with Wright's big dunk coming in that spurt.

Johnson went back to his starters, but they played the rest of the half as if they'd used up their allotment of time in the paint during the first quarter, settling for jumpers. The best evidence was their free throws — not a single one in the period. They shot just 16 for the game, after averaging 38.3 over the first three games. - AP

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Pat Riley to quit as Miami coach: reports

Agence France-Presse

MIAMI - Pat Riley will resign as coach of the Miami Heat after struggling through the worst season of his National Basketball Association career, area newspapers reported Monday.

The Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Riley would step down but remain as team president, a move the club would not confirm even as it announced plans for a news conference later Monday.

Riley, 63, met with Heat owner Micky Arison over the weekend to talk about the future direction of the team, which finished a league-worst 15-67 this season, trading Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix and watching guard Dwyane Wade struggle with nagging injuries.

The Sun Sentinel reported that Erik Spoelstra, a Heat assistant coach, would replace Riley as the bench boss.

Riley took over for Stan Van Gundy 21 games into the 2005-2006 season and guided the Heat to an NBA title, but this year's Heat matched their 1989-1999 inaugural version for the worst record in club history.

Riley has a 1,210-694 regular-season record and five NBA titles to his credit and

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Riley resigns as coach of Miami Heat; Spoelstra to replace him
04/29/2008 | 03:59 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us MIAMI - Pat Riley has resigned as coach of the Miami Heat and named assistant Erik Spoelstra as his replacement.

As Heat president, Riley will continue to oversee a plan to halt the team's dramatic fall after it won the NBA championship in 2006. The Heat finished this season with the NBA's worst record — 15-67.

Riley's future was among many major issues awaiting Miami this offseason. The Heat could have the No. 1 pick in the draft, are assured a top-four pick and are certain to make several moves in an effort to revamp a roster plagued by injuries all year.

"One thing we know for sure: He will be the president," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said one day after the most disappointing season in Miami's 20-year franchise history ended this month. "Whatever else happens after that, we know he's going to do what's best for the team."

Wade and other Heat players did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

Unless he comes back — he has once before — Riley finishes his career with 1,210 victories, third most in NBA history behind Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson. He won seven championships in all, five as a head coach, one as an assistant and one as a player, and was voted into the 2008 Hall of Fame class this month. His induction is Sept. 5.

The rebuilding process will still be his primary focus. Riley essentially began that job in February when he traded disgruntled center Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns. The move not only rid the team of a player who didn't want to remain in Miami, but gave the Heat some salary-cap room that wouldn't otherwise have been available until O'Neal's contract expired in 2010.

"Regardless if Pat is coaching or not, I think he'll still have a lot of say-so in what goes on around here," Heat forward Shawn Marion, who was acquired in that trade for O'Neal, said this month.

But now, the say-so will come from Spoelstra, who has been with the Heat for 13 seasons but never a head coach at any level outside of the NBA's summer league.

Spoelstra came to the Heat in 1995 as video coordinator, and was promoted to assistant coach/video coordinator two years later. He's worked his way up the ladder since and has long been considered the person Riley would promote when the time was right.

It's a tactic Riley used before. He stepped down days before the 2003-04 season began, walking into then-assistant coach Stan Van Gundy's office one morning and asking him, "You ready?"

Van Gundy remained coach for two-plus seasons, resigning 21 games into the 2005-06 campaign. Riley replaced his former protege on the bench and engineered Miami's march to the 2006 championship.

But the Heat have gone 59-105 in regular-season games since, the second-biggest two-year fall by a championship team in NBA history.

He started his head coaching career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning a championship in his first season with a team led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also took the New York Knicks to the NBA finals before coming to Miami in 1995, where on the day he was introduced he famously talked about envisioning a championship parade down Biscayne Boulevard.

Eleven years later, that vision became reality. AP

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Dejected Nuggets try to keep chins up faced with 3-0 deficit
04/29/2008 | 03:43 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us DENVER - Every chance he gets, Los Angeles Lakers guard Coby Karl razzes his dad, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, suggesting he'll win an NBA title before his father ever does.

But the rookie reserve thought better than to rib his father on Sunday.

"Today is not a day for trash-talking," Coby said as he prepared for the Lakers' practice at the Pepsi Center, followed by dinner with dad.

George Karl's team trails 3-0 in the best-of-7 series and in their 102-84 blowout loss at home on Saturday night, he was heckled on the bench by none other than his All-Star forward, Carmelo Anthony.

"Just don't sit there!" Anthony bellowed as Karl watched his bench players hustle in the fourth quarter while his ineffective starters watched dejectedly from the bench.

Afterward, Anthony, who is 4-15 in the playoffs in his career, accused the Nuggets, from Karl on down, of quitting.

Karl said his hearing's so bad that he never realized 'Melo was heckling him, and he demurred when asked if he had a clear-the-air meeting Sunday with his disgruntled All-Star who had accused him of quitting.

"I didn't hear his comments other than I thought we played a pretty good fourth quarter," Karl said. "Statistically and on film the fourth quarter was one of our better basketball performances. I don't quite comprehend the connotation other than fighting through frustration and being emotional after the game."

Karl's other All-Star, Allen Iverson, said he was insulted at playing just over one minute in the fourth quarter, when Marcus Camby didn't play at all and Kenyon Martin played just over four minutes.

"I have to coach the game," Karl said. "There's no personal thing there. I wanted to try a different look. If the game would had gotten back in hand, I would have put him back in the game.

"In some ways I'm happy he's angry because he wants to play and that's fantastic."

Unlike the Lakers, who practiced for 90 minutes, the Nuggets never got onto the court Sunday.

"It's a day of regrouping, re-energizing," said Karl, who showed his team 10 minutes of film, then opened the floor to assistant coach Tim Grgurich for a pick-me-up talk.

Eduardo Najera said the mood in the locker room was like a funeral until Grgurich lifted their spirits by reminding them what "a great life we have."

"It's just the energy of getting the cloud away from heads and get the sunshine out by tomorrow," Karl said. "Tomorrow the scoreboard starts 0-0."

Still, A.I., 'Melo and Martin all ducked reporters as they bolted out of the building.

"I would probably prefer them to be more commentary and professional. But it's a frustrating business and it's a very difficult place to be," Karl said. "And I think we've got to respect their emotions."

Camby stopped to talk, telling The Associated Press: "I think we regrouped today. There was a lot of frustration last night. The odds are definitely against us. But we'll just go out there and try to get a win. You get that one win and you never know what can happen and in the next game."

The thing is, nothing the Nuggets have done has worked against the Lakers, who are 6-0 against Denver this season.

"Right now, we've just got to play with pride and forget about Xs and Os," Najera said. "Forget about the triangle. Forget about guarding Kobe. Forget about everything."

And while they're at it, forget about 'Melo's accusations of surrender, too.

"I don't think he meant it. Nobody quit," Linas Kleiza said. "Nobody quit on each other. It's just him being the competitor he is. Sometimes things like that come out of peoples' mouths after tough losses."

Kobe Bryant said the Nuggets team he expects to see Monday night is the one that won 50 games for the first time in 20 years, not the anguished bunch the Lakers have dominated in the playoffs.

"Close-out games are always very, very tough," Bryant said. "They play loose and they tend to fight a lot more. It's going to be tough."

The Nuggets may be motivated to avoid their first sweep since the Spurs beat them 3-0 in a best-of-5 playoff series in 1995, but Bryant said the Lakers are just as driven to end this series on Monday night.

"Absolutely. You never want to give a team any kind of momentum," he said.

Coby Karl said he felt sorry for his dad, having tagged along in previous years when the Nuggets were bounced out of the first round.

"I know how he feels right now because I've been through it with him," the younger Karl said.

On the other hand ...

"I think it's great for us. We've got a couple older guys on the team. Hopefully we can shorten the series. That would help them a lot."

Notes:@ Karl, who has two years left on his contract, declined to address his job security: "It's crazy to be talked about. I think we've had a great year." ... Bryant on the "MVP!" chants he got at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night: "Absolutely awesome. It felt like home." - AP

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Turkoglu wins NBA most improved player award
04/29/2008 | 09:28 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us ORLANDO, Fla. - Hedo Turkoglu, whose 19 points, five rebounds and five assists per game helped the Orlando Magic win their first division title in 12 years, was selected as the NBA's most improved player Monday.

Turkoglu's numbers marked career highs in each category, and dramatic improvements from 13 points, four rebounds and three assists last season. He earned back-to-back Eastern Conference player of the week awards in late January and early February and was named player of the month for April.

This was the type of season the Magic always expected from the 6-foot-10 forward, now in his eighth year.

"Without him, I don't know where we would be," Magic general manager Otis Smith said. "I am happy to have him on our team and I'm happy that he is winning this award eight years late, but I am happy that he is at least winning this award. This is a sign of things to come for Turk."

Turkoglu received 61 first-place votes and 380 points in the voting by a panel of American and Canadian sports journalists, well ahead of Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, who earned 167 points, 23 for first-place, and the Portland Trailblazers' LaMarcus Aldridge with 128 points and nine first-place votes.

Turkoglu was the fourth Magic player to win the award, handed out since the 1985-86 season.

His 40 percent shooting behind the arc helped Orlando record the second most prolific 3-point season in NBA history. The Magic made 9.77 a game, behind only the Phoenix Suns' 10.21 a game in 2005-06. He also started all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career.

"I guess this year was the time for me to step it up and come this far, so I am just blessed that I was healthy this year and all the things went well for me, having a good coach, my teammates, everybody," Turkoglu said. "If you look at it, it is not just my improvement, it is the Magic's improvement too, comparing to last year."

Turkoglu had two triple-doubles this season, also the first of his career. But perhaps most importantly, the Turkish-born pro has been key in the clutch. He hit winners with the clock running down twice — against Chicago on Dec. 31 and Boston on Jan. 27 — and drained the go-ahead free throws with 2.4 seconds left on Feb. 1 against Philadelphia.

Turkoglu also made an acrobatic layup in traffic with 30 seconds left in Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, the go-ahead bucket.

"He is as talented a basketball player I have seen at 6-foot-10 in a long time. You feel comfortable with the ball in his hands," Smith said. "He can make decisions for your teammates — he is always at the top every night (in assists), and you can't ask for a 6-foot-10 guy to do that.

"He has been asked to do a lot this year, and he has responded well. He has had these abilities all along, he just had to be brought out of them, and now he is able to do it." - AP

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Howard powers Magic to oust Raptors in 5 games
04/29/2008 | 10:36 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us ORLANDO, Fla. - Dwight Howard had 21 points and 21 rebounds and the Orlando Magic advanced to second round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, beating the Toronto Raptors 102-92 on Monday night to close out their series in five games.

It was Howard's third game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the series.

Raptors forward Chris Bosh, who posted career playoff highs of 39 points and 15 rebounds at Toronto on Saturday, had 16 points and nine rebounds. Bosh was frustrated down low by Howard, shooting 7-of-19 and picking up a third-quarter technical foul after the Magic star powered past him for a layup.

The Magic will play the winner of the Detroit-Philadelphia series, which is tied 2-2, in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

T.J. Ford and Carlos Delfino both scored 14 points for the Raptors, while Jason Kapono had 13 and Jose Calderon 12. Delfino added seven rebounds and Ford had five assists.

Keyon Dooling's free throw after the technical on Bosh put the Magic ahead 73-66 with just under a minute left in the third quarter, and Orlando kept that cushion until midway through the fourth. Delfino hit a jumper and Bosh made two free throws in four trips to the line, plus a hook shot over Howard, to draw the Raptors within 84-82.

The Magic, who shot the fourth-best percentage in the NBA from 3-point range this season, struggled again from long range, but made them when it counted. Keith Bogans and Jameer Nelson each hit one and Howard added a layup as the Magic answered with an 8-0 run over 3:13 to open a 92-82 lead, then its largest of the game.

It was enough room to let them coast.

Nelson scored 19 points for Orlando and Rashard Lewis had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu just missed a triple-double with 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while Maurice Evans scored 12 points and Bogans added 11.

Orlando hadn't won a playoff series since 1996, when Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway led the team to the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic played 28 postseason games in the intervening years, winning only eight.

Orlando looked good early, taking a 10-2 lead on 3-of-5 shooting, but the Raptors guards took over for the rest of the first half. Calderon fueled a 10-4 run with two 3-pointers to close the first quarter up 26-22, and Delfino scored eight straight points in the second quarter. The Magic drew to 44-43 as the Raptors went 2:20 Raptors without scoring — a period in which Lewis had nine points — but Ford scored six straight on two jumpers and two free throws to keep the Magic from regaining the lead before halftime.

Toronto's Jamario Moon, who strained his groin in the third quarter Saturday and didn't return, started for the second time in the series. He had six points in the first quarter on two quick 3-pointers but just two more the rest of the way.

Notes:@ The NBA announced earlier in the day that Turkoglu was its most improved player. ... Orlando is 4-0 all-time in Game 5s at home. ... Toronto's bench outscored the Magic's all five games — by a lot. The margin was 39-20 on Monday, and 149-75 through the first four games. ... The Raptors lost their last five games on the road. ... Tiger Woods and Chicago Bulls F Drew Gooden watched from courtside. - AP

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Hawks surprise Celtics to even series 2-2
04/29/2008 | 11:09 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us (Updated) ATLANTA - Forget about a Boston sweep. The Hawks are headed back to Beantown all tied up with the mighty Celtics. Joe Johnson scored 35 points — 20 in the fourth quarter — and Josh Smith added 28 points and seven blocks for Atlanta, which surprised the Celtics again 97-92 on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

A Game 5 that many never expected to happen is now on, Wednesday night in Boston.

The Hawks, who had the worst record (37-45) of any playoff team, overcame two double-digit deficits to beat a team that won an NBA-leading 66 games during the regular season.

The credit for this Atlanta stunner goes largely to Johnson, who took control in the final quarter. After Smith's jumper put the Hawks ahead to stay 81-79, Johnson scored nine straight points to keep the Celtics on the ropes.

The knockout came when Paul Pierce drove to the hoop and left it short, then tumbled over a cameraman alongside the basket. When the Boston star finally climbed back to his feet, he had a look of disbelief — which pretty much sums up the way the Celtics are feeling about this series.

Smith went to the other end and made two free throws with 26 seconds remaining for 93-87 lead. Johnson — appropriately enough — finished off the Celtics by making two more foul shots with 14 seconds left.

Ray Allen led Boston with 21 points, and Kevin Garnett added 20.

Smith set an Atlanta playoff record with seven blocks, the last of them a key swat on Garnett after he backed down in the lane, looking for the easy shot, with just over 3 minutes left.

"It's time to shock the world," the public address announcer screamed to the sellout crowd of 20,016.

After getting blown out in the first two games, Atlanta turned feisty on its home court. Rookie Al Horford taunted Pierce after putting the Celtics away in Game 3, prompting the Boston forward to flash a menacing gesture that drew a $25,000 fine from the NBA shortly before Game 4.

Then, with 7 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, things really got testy. Garnett threw an elbow at Zaza Pachulia while going for a loose ball. The rugged Pachulia got right in Garnett's face, going forehead to forehead with the Boston star.

The officials stepped in quickly and Hawks coach Mike Woodson charged onto the court to pull his players away. No punches were thrown and no one was ejected, though the officials did call offsetting technical fouls — two on each team — after looking at a replay.

Boston started like it was going to be a blowout.

The Hawks missed four shots and turned it over three times before finally hitting their first field goal of the game, Smith's 20-foot jumper with just under 7 minutes left in the first. Boston, on the other hand, hit six of its first seven shots — four from outside the 3-point arc — and built a 16-3 lead before the Hawks knew what hit them.

The NBA's youngest playoff team was on the ropes, but it didn't fold. Atlanta closed the period on a 20-3 run, taking a 29-24 lead to the second quarter.

The Hawks led 51-48 at halftime, only to put themselves in another hole with a dismal third quarter. Standing around on offense and doing little to create shots, Atlanta was 6-of-17 from the field, missed all seven of its 3-point attempts and turned it over seven times, giving Boston plenty of easy baskets.

Garnett scored nine points in the period to lead the Celtics, who went to the fourth with a 75-65 lead.

But the Hawks bounced back again. Johnson shot 7-of-10, including a couple of 3s, and Smith scored 12 points in the final period.

Coming off an unexpected 102-93 win in Game 3, the city was actually fired up about its long-forgotten NBA team. Woodson said he actually noticed some motorists flying Hawks flags on their cars as he drove to Philips Arena, something he hadn't seen in his four years as coach.

Former owner Ted Turner even showed up for the first time in years, sitting at courtside and waving a white Hawks towel.

Notes:@ Smith broke the Atlanta playoff record of six blocks shared by Tree Rollins and d**embe Mutombo. ... Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was at the game. ... Boston was called twice for defensive 3-second violations, and Johnson hit the free throw each time. - AP

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Byron Scott to be named NBA Coach of the Year - source
04/29/2008 | 11:25 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans coach Byron Scott, who led the Hornets to their first playoff appearance in four years this season, has been chosen as the NBA coach of the year, The Associated Press has learned.

A person with knowledge of the award spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because the league had not yet announced it.

New Orleans sent a media advisory Monday afternoon, saying it planned a "major announcement" at 10 a.m. Tuesday following the Hornets' gameday shootaround.

Scott is expected to receive the award Tuesday before the Hornets host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. New Orleans leads 3-1.

Scott took over the Hornets in 2004-05 and went 18-64 while presiding over a roster overhaul that included the trade of star guard Baron Davis to the Golden State Warriors.

New Orleans then drafted guard Chris Paul with the fourth overall pick in 2005 and steadily improved from there. The Hornets narrowly missed the playoffs last season before setting a franchise record for wins this season at 56-26, good for the Southwest Division crown and the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

This marks the first time Scott, who twice coached the New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals earlier this decade, has received the award.

Scott became a front-runner for the award after the Hornets went into the All-Star break with the best record in the Western Conference, which earned Scott the nod to coach the West squad in the game.

While the Hornets were widely expected to slide in the standings during the stretch drive toward the playoffs, they remained in contention for the top seed in the West until the final week of the season.

New Orleans won what many considered the toughest division in the NBA, finishing ahead of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, all 50-win teams.

Other front-runners for coach of the year included Boston coach Doc Rivers, who led the Celtics to the best record in the NBA (66-16), as well as Houston coach Rick Adelman, who oversaw the Rockets' improbable 22-game winning streak and helped his team stay competitive after a season-ending foot injury to star center Yao Ming.

Rivers agreed with the choice of Scott.

"He should," Rivers said before the Celtics played Atlanta in Game 4 Monday