2008 NBA Playoffs

[RedHunks½]

Pistons Escape Magic, Take 2-0 Series Lead

Chauncey Billups scored a game-high 28 points, and was joined by four teammates in double figures, as the Pistons held on for a Game 2 victory in Detroit on Monday night, 100-93. The Magic came back from a 14-point deficit to trail by just two, 95-93, with 13 seconds left to play, but failed to tie or take lead and were forced to send Billups to the line, who predictably iced the game.

Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson each led Orlando with 22 points, and Rashard Lewis added 20 in defeat. Howard also collected 18 rebounds and two blocks.

Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, meanwhile, were big for Detroit, eaching scoring 17 as the Pistons took a 2-0 series lead and kept their homecourt advantage in tact.

Game 3 is set for Wednesday in Orlando at 8 ET on TNT.

[RedHunks½]

Celtics Likely Less Cavalier Against Cleveland

It took much longer than expected, but the 66-win Boston Celtics finally put away the 37-win Atlanta Hawks in the First Round. That they needed seven games to do it shocked just about everyone who saw either team play in the regular season.

But does the length of their First Round series have any effect on the Celtics as they move forward? Have they lost some of their swagger knowing that no other team needed seven games to advance to the Conference Semifinals? Have the Hawks exposed a vulnerability in Boston that a more serious contender can take advantage of to the tune of four wins instead of just three?

We're about to find out, because here come LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, last year's Eastern Conference champs.

Cleveland enters the second round aiming to build upon its six-game elimination of the rival Washington Wizards. The Cavaliers struggled throughout the season's second half as they worked several players -- Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith -- into the rotation following a three-team deal at the trade deadline, but received strong contributions from each in the first round, highlighted by West's Game-4-winning three-pointer.

Newcomers or not, however, Cleveland's fate rests upon the back of one man: LeBron James. The fifth-year forward scored at least 30 points in each of the Cavaliers' first three wins, topping his series with a triple-double (27 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists) in a 105-88 victory in Game 6. After Joe Johnson exposed Boston's struggles to defend scoring swingmen, James is likely salivating at a chance to play underdog.

But in order to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals, James and the Cavs will have to find a way to win at the TD Banknorth Garden, and the Celtics won their four First Round home games by an average margin of 25.3 points. Scoring against the vaunted Celtics defense in their house has proven to be a difficult task. Of course, Cleveland's defense isn't too shabby either. So, don't expect many high scoring affairs in this series.

James is arguably the best player in the world. And the Celtics have been the best team in the league this year. Will it be The Player or The Team?

Game 1 is Tuesday, May 5 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

--Ben Couch and John Schuhmann

[AUSTIN316]

Billups powers Pistons past Magic for 2-0 series lead


Agence France-Presse

DETROIT, Michigan - Chauncey Billups scored 28 points and Detroit dominated with defense and free throws down the stretch to beat Orlando 100-93, taking command of their National basketball Association playoff series.

Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince each scored 17 points Monday and Richard Hamilton added 14 for the Pistons, who seized a two games to none lead in the Eastern Conference second-round best-of-seven series.

The Pistons, who won game one 91-72 here on Saturday, scored their final 13 points from the free throw line and kept the Magic at bay with tenacious defensive work.

Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson each scored 22 points to lead Orlando while Rashard Lewis had 20 points for the Magic. Howard also grabbed 18 rebounds for Orlando, which will host games three and four on Wednesday and Saturday.

Hamilton had missed his previous seven shots but sank a 3-pointer with 5:27 to go to put the Pistons ahead 87-86 and Billups added two free throws to cap a crucial 7-0 Pistons run over a span of 1:47.

With defenses dominating and fouls adding up, Howard and Billups traded two free throws each, then Hamilton hit two more for Detroit with 2:10 remaining to put the Pistons ahead 93-88.

Orlando went 7-for-7 from 3-point range in the third quarter but the Magic went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter until Nelson's 3-pointer pulled Orlando within 93-91.

Hamilton added a free throw with 1:23 remaining but Howard tipped-in a rebound with 1:03 remaining to lift Orlando within 94-93, although Jason Maxiell hit 1-of-2 free throws 15 seconds later to double Detroit's lead.

Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu missed a 3-pointer for Orlando but a Detroit shot-clock violation gave the ball back to the Magic for one last chance with 17.8 seconds remaining.

Lewis missed a layin and Turkoglu lost the rebound out of bounds, forcing the Magic to foul to stop the clock. Hamilton hit one free throw and Billups sank four more in the final seconds to finish off the Magic.

[AUSTIN316]

Hornets rout Spurs anew, seize 2-0 lead

Agence France Presse

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - Chris Paul scored 30 points and added 12 assists to power the New Orleans Hornets past defending National Basketball Association champion San Antonio 102-84 here Monday.

Serbia's Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points, sinking 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and David West added 10 points for the Hornets, who took a two games to none lead in the best-of-seven Western Confernce second-round playoff series.

The Spurs, led by 18 points and eight rebounds from Tim Duncan, dropped the first two games of a playoff series for the first time since the 2001 Western Conference final, when the Los Angeles Lakers swept them on the way to a title.

The series shifts to San Antonio for games Thursday and Sunday but the Spurs, bidding for their fifth NBA title in 10 seasons, have been outplayed and outhustled twice by the younger Hornets, who won game one 101-82 on Saturday.

The Hornets won for the 17th time in their past 18 home playoff games, including a perfect 8-for-8 in the playoffs at home.

"Our guys were a little more aggressive as far as what we were going to take away from them," Hornets coach Byron Scott said.

"They made some slight adjustments. We had to adjust to those. But our guys pretty much carried out our game plan all night long."

On the eve of his 23rd birthday, Paul attacked the Spurs' defense and passed off to his teammates when he was not hitting 11-of-20 from the field.

"My teammates and my coach told me to be aggressive. I knew when I got into the lane I had to shoot the ball," Paul said. "I'm just trying to lead my team in the playoffs. It's just my third year. I have got a long way to go."

French guard Tony Parker hit a 3-pointer at the half-time buzzer to put the Spurs ahead 43-42 but Stojakovic answered with a 3-pointer to open the third quarter and ignite a 10-0 Hornets run to start the second half.

The Hornets pulled to their largest lead at 74-56 late in the third quarter and while the Spurs trimmed the deficit to 78-61 after three quarters, they could never close the gap again, faster and flashier New Orleans dominating.

"The third quarter, we came out with a lot more energy," Scott said. "We came out with five stops in a row and scored after all of them and that really got us going."

[AUSTIN316]

Lakers guard Bryant finally wins MVP award

Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player on Tuesday, the first time the prolific backcourt ace has received the honor after 12 seasons in the league.

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 5.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds a game this season for the Lakers, whose 57-25 record was the best in the Western Conference.

The 6ft-6ins (1.98 meter) Bryant, named four times to the All-NBA First Team, helped the Lakers win three successive NBA titles from 2000.

"This is a beautiful day, a special day for me," a beaming Bryant, 29, told a news conference after being presented with the trophy. "I'm just deeply, deeply honored to be here.

"This is a team award. This is not an individual award," he added with a nod toward his team mates, who attended the news conference.

"This gets done because we all do it as a unit and I can't thank these guys enough."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who steered Bryant through his NBA title partnership with former Laker Shaquille O'Neal and who directed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, praised Bryant for his dedication.

"I don't know anybody who deserves it more," Jackson said. "I've never known anybody who has worked as hard to accomplish what he's accomplished in this game."

Tumultuous year

The award crowned a tumultuous year for Bryant, who last May publicly demanded a trade before reconsidering following two frustrating seasons in which he led the NBA in scoring in teams which exited early from the playoffs.

"It's been one hell of a year," Bryant said.

"To watch the development of our younger players and watch us step into that elite level, and ultimately winning the Western Conference it's been an emotional roller coaster. It's been a heck of a journey.

"I'm fortunate to be on this journey with guys I enjoy. We all get along. We have this great chemistry and unity."

The irresistible combination of Bryant and O'Neal produced three titles in a row but there was tension between the pair and the latter was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant believes the Lakers are finally back on track.

"We have to give a lot of credit to (general manager) Mitch Kupchak," he said. "He put together this great team. He made an incredible trade, several incredible trades," Bryant said, referring to the acquisition of Spanish center Pau Gasol.

Bryant said he hoped winning the MVP award would lead to a grand finale for the Lakers.

"It's Hollywood, it's a movie script and the perfect ending would be us holding that championship trophy at the end of it," Bryant said. "That would be the perfect ending."

[AUSTIN316]

Kobe Bryant expected to be named NBA MVP
05/06/2008 | 08:31 AM
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LOS ANGELES - The NBA has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday at a Los Angeles hotel, where Kobe Bryant is expected to be announced as winner of his first Most Valuable Player award.

Neither NBA spokesman Mark Broussard nor the Lakers would discuss the subject of the news conference, although the league did refer to it as an NBA Awards Announcement.

The Los Angeles Times reported last Friday that the 29-year-old Bryant had won the award. League spokesman Brian McIntyre refused to confirm or deny the report on Saturday.

"I didn't know if it was going to come in my career, but to have the moment come now is special, especially to share it with the group of guys we have here," Bryant told reporters Saturday. "We talked about (how) winning this MVP is extremely special because that means I'm doing good. I'm making my teammates better, putting them in a position to win."

Bryant, who entered the season as the league's two-time defending scoring champion, had finished as high as third in the MVP voting twice — after the 2002-03 campaign, when he averaged 30 points for the first time, and again last year, when Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki won the award and two-time MVP Steve Nash finished second.

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing in all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie finger in February. A hand specialist recommended surgery, but Bryant decided to put it off until after the Olympics this summer.

Bryant is expected to receive the MVP trophy Wednesday night from commissioner David Stern before the Lakers face the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of their best-of-seven second-round playoff series. The Lakers won the opener 109-98 on Sunday.

Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind Cleveland's LeBron James, would be the first member of the Lakers to win the MVP award since Shaquille O'Neal was a near-unanimous choice in 2000. Other previous Lakers to win the award dating back to 1956 when it was first presented were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, who won it three times each. Abdul-Jabbar also won three with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bryant and O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships, from 2000-02, and a berth in the NBA finals in 2004. The Lakers hadn't won a playoff series since then until sweeping the Denver Nuggets in the first round last month. -

[AUSTIN316]

Hornets to continue swarming Tim Duncan in Game 2
05/06/2008 | 08:51 AM
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NEW ORLEANS - Tim Duncan was annoyed, muttering after losing a ball out of bounds, and later staring at the floor with his hands on his hips after missing a foul shot.

After averaging nearly 25 points and 14 rebounds in five playoff games against the Phoenix Suns, Duncan did little right for the Spurs in Game 1 at New Orleans on Saturday night.

Hornets center Tyson Chandler anchored a defensive effort that routinely employed double-teams against Duncan, who missed eight of nine shots, made only half of his six free throws and finished with five points and three rebounds.

That kind of outing from Duncan is rare. The Hornets aren't sure they can lock down the Spurs' perennial All-Star again in Game 2 on Monday night, but they certainly intend to try.

"They want to give him more shot attempts, want to get him more looks at the basket," Hornets forward David West said. "We're not going to leave any of our guys one-on-one with anybody. We haven't done that all year. We won't allow our teammates to get embarrassed, so he's going to get more shots, but every time he catches the ball he's going to see a line of defense. He's going to see Tyson, he's going to see the next line and the next line of defense."

Chandler said he's considered Duncan the best center in the game for a long time, and because of that has studied Duncan's game to see what he could learn about playing the position. There's another benefit to that for the Hornets in this series.

"I've been watching him so much I know his game and I kind of know his counters," Chandler said. "I don't think you'll necessarily stop Tim out there. He's too good of a post player. The thing we have to do is keep him away from his spots. Keep him away from easy buckets. I've watched him long enough to kind of know his game."

Duncan's response? Everyone will have to wait and see. The Spurs had scheduled practice at the New Orleans Arena on Sunday, but canceled it.

The Hornets, meanwhile, practiced only briefly after watching some game film. Hornets coach Byron Scott said he wanted his players as fresh as possible because he expects them to push the tempo.

"We have to use what we've got. We have the youth, younger legs, things like that," Scott said. "We're a little more athletic than they are. We have to try to use those things to our advantage."

West's ability to score on mid-range jumpers, post-up moves and drives to the hoop was what made him a first-time All-Star this season, and was the difference in the series opener. He finished with a playoff career-high 30 points.

The Hornets have now beaten San Antonio three times this season, all lopsided affairs that featured prolific scoring by West.

Spurs guard Tony Parker made note of that after Saturday's game, saying the Spurs need to refine their defensive approach on West specifically and not be overly preoccupied with Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

One change Gregg Popovich could try is putting Duncan, one of his best defenders, on West.

If that matchup materializes, Scott said, the Hornets will respond by keeping West on the wing, limiting Duncan's ability to be a rebounding or shot-blocking force inside.

Then there's the matter of stopping Chandler, who converted more than 100 alley-oop feeds from Paul during the regular season and had another in Game 1 of this series.

"You have to have a solid defender guarding Tyson," West said. "I know that is one of the reasons why they put Tim over on Tyson, to make sure he can protect the basket."

In any event, Scott expects Duncan to be much more of a factor from here on, and he does not think it is realistic to expect his team to run away from the defending champions as the Hornets did in their 101-82 Game 1 triumph.

"Tim is too proud to come out and play that way again," Scott said. "In our minds right now, this is going to be a long series. They're just too good of a team to play the way they played (Saturday) night for four more games or five more games, so we didn't get their best shot." - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Magic and Pistons trade barbs before Game 2
05/06/2008 | 08:54 AM
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit-Orlando series is not as intriguing as the other three matchups in the NBA playoffs. The Pistons and Magic are trying to change that.

A day after Detroit beat Orlando 91-72 in Game 1 of their second-round series, players on both teams took verbal swipes at each other.

Magic forward Rashard Lewis took down Theo Ratliff with a physical foul midway through the fourth quarter, and Jason Maxiell quickly got in Lewis' face with a menacing look and choice words.

Ratliff said he didn't need Maxiell's assistance.

"There's no sense in guys coming to my rescue," Ratliff said Sunday. "I mean, that was Rashard Lewis. He's a 3 man."

What Ratliff said was relayed to Lewis and the small forward fired back.

"You can have a lot of energy in five minutes a game," Lewis said. "What's he played? 15 games? Tell him to come out and guard me."

Detroit signed the 6-foot-10 Ratliff in March after the center reached a buyout agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he played in 16 games for the team that drafted him in 1995.

Ratliff was one of four players the Pistons successfully sent at Dwight Howard, slowing him down after his performances in the first round drew comparisons to famed NBA players.

In the first quarter against Detroit, Howard had six points, five rebounds and three blocks. The rest of the game, he scored just six points, grabbed three rebounds and didn't swat a shot.

Howard's 12 points were the fewest he scored during this postseason and his eight rebounds marked a career low in 10 playoff games.

His lackluster game led to Orlando scoring a season-worst 72 points, 13 fewer than its previous low.

He averaged 22.6 points, 18.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks against Toronto — helping Orlando advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1996 — to rival what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone produced in those categories during the playoffs in the 1970s.

Howard scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in three games against the Raptors, becoming the first player to pull off the feat in the postseason since Wilt Chamberlain did in 1972.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders started with Jason Maxiell guarding Howard before sending Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Ratliff at him.

"Dwight is an imposing player, but we've played against some of the Hall of Famers so it's not really something we worry about," Ratliff said.

Maxiell explained matter-of-factly how Detroit made the 6-11, 265-pound Howard look ordinary.

"He's has a very strong upper body," Maxiell said. "But if you get down low and take his legs out, he's not that powerful."

Howard bristled at the suggestion that his lower body is weak.

"That's not true," Howard said. "Trust me."

Howard also needs help from the perimeter. The Magic set an NBA record by making at least five 3-pointers in every game, led the league by making nearly 10 3s a game and attempted 25 shots from beyond the arc to trail only Golden State.

Orlando was 2-of-15 on 3-pointers in the series opener against Detroit.

"They're a finesse team," Ratliff said. "They're a 3-point shooting team."

Like Howard, Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson took exception with Ratliff's assessment.

"Who? Who?" Nelson asked mockingly when Ratliff's comments were repeated by reporters. "I'm getting sick and tired of people calling us soft."

Nelson might also grow tired of hearing some say he and his teammates can't guard Chauncey Billups or Richard Hamilton.

Billups scored a game-high 19 points Saturday night, even though he rested during the lopsided fourth quarter, and Hamilton had 17 points to outscore Orlando's starting backcourt by 25.

Almost at will, Billups blew past Nelson off the dribble and Hamilton curled around screens to get open for mid-range jumpers against Maurice Evans.

"Chauncey drove the ball and he's a very strong guy so if he gets an angle and drops that shoulder, good luck getting in front of him," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Rip around screens is the best in the league. Since Reggie Miller retired, he's the best catch-and-shoot player coming off screens in the NBA." - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Pistons take 2-0 series lead vs Magic
05/06/2008 | 10:04 AM
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit Pistons took advantage of what seemed to be a little help from the scorer's table and went on beat the Orlando Magic. Chauncey Billups scored 28 points, three on a disputed shot at the end of the third quarter, and Detroit got past Orlando for a 100-93 win Monday night and a 2-0 lead in the second-round series.

Billups officially made a 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in the third, ending a play that started with 5.1 seconds and seemed to take a fraction of a second longer using replays the officials didn't use during a 5-minute delay.

The shot put Detroit ahead 78-76.

Lead official Steve Javie declined to be interviewed by a pool reporter during a timeout, and ignored another reporter shouting to speak with him after the game ended.

The Magic still had a chance to win after trailing by 14 in the first half.

Orlando had the ball down two points late in the game, but Rashard Lewis missed a running scoop shot, Dwight Howard just missed on a putback and Hedo Turkoglu couldn't grab the offensive rebound.

Magic reserve Keyon Dooling fouled Richard Hamilton before the ensuing pass was made from the sideline, giving Detroit a free throw — made by Hamilton — and the ball.

Billups then made two free throws to put Detroit ahead by five points with 10.9 seconds left to seal the win.

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Orlando. - AP

[AUSTIN316]

CP3 shines as Hornets take 2-0 lead vs Spurs
05/06/2008 | 12:21 PM
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(Updated) NEW ORLEANS - Shutting down David West only gave the San Antonio Spurs front-row seats for the Chris Paul show. With razzle-dazzle dribbles and a driving floater that couldn't miss, Paul had 30 points and 12 assists, leading the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-84 victory Monday night and a 2-0 lead over the Spurs in their second-round series.

Peja Stojakovic hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the Hornets, who've won both games by wide margins in becoming the first team to put San Antonio in an 0-2 playoff hole since 2001, when the Spurs were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

Game 3 is Thursday in San Antonio.

After allowing West to score a playoff career-high 30 points in the series opener, the Spurs held the All-Star power forward to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. But West remained active under the basket with 10 rebounds.

Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds and all of his five points during a key stretch midway through the fourth quarter when the Hornets prevented San Antonio from getting within single digits.

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 18 points and eight rebounds, far better than his miserable Game 1, when he tied a career playoff low with five points and three rebounds. But by the final minutes, Duncan was on the bench, resting his cheek on his hand with a dejected 100-yard stare.

Manu Ginobili had 13 points for the Spurs and Tony Parker 11. Brent Barry added 14, some of it when the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter.

The Spurs continued to settle for 3-pointers, going 8-of-27 from that distance and finishing at 42.5 percent shooting overall. The Hornets shot 48 percent.

The Hornets opened the second half with a 10-0 run that included 3s by Stojakovic and Morris Peterson. Stojakovic's driving floater capped it, giving New Orleans a 52-43 lead.

With Paul spearheading an up-tempo attack, the Hornets kept the pressure on throughout the third quarter. Paul used heady ball-handling to goad the Spurs into fouls, putting them over the limit with 4:06 left in the period. Meanwhile, Paul and Stojakovic each added another 3, the second putting New Orleans up 70-56.

As the quarter ended, Paul used a high dribble on the drive to give the Hornets a 78-61 lead heading into the final period.

Duncan had seven points in the first eight minutes, luring Chandler into two early fouls and tying the score at 17 on a follow shot as he was fouled by Chandler's replacement, Melvin Ely.

Kurt Thomas, who scored only two points in Game 1, also had seven in the first quarter.

Ginobili scored six points during an 8-0 run that put the Spurs up 29-22 early in the second quarter. New Orleans hit back with a 9-2 run that included Jannero Pargo's two jumpers and rookie Julian Wright's 3, which tied the game at 31.

Paul, who had 11 points in the first half, gave New Orleans a 42-40 lead with eight seconds left in the second quarter. Parker then hit a 3 from the corner at the buzzer to put San Antonio up 43-42 at halftime.

Notes:@ Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and actor Isaiah Washington were in the audience, as well as former LSU defensive lineman and Kansas City Chiefs top draft choice Glenn Dorsey ... Attendance was 17,927, the Hornets' 11th straight sellout. ... The Hornets have never won a second-round series. They are 0-4 in the second round of the

[AUSTIN316]

Will Hawks coach return after leading Atlanta to playoffs?
PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer
05/06/2008 | 04:21 PM
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ATLANTA – After a stirring run through the playoffs, one that actually got the fans of Atlanta excited about their NBA team, the Hawks headed into the offseason Monday with one major issue hanging over the team: Will Mike Woodson return as coach now that his squad is actually showing signs of hope?

The Hawks pushed the heavily-favored Boston Celtics to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs before Atlanta's season ended with a 34-point blowout in Beantown.

Still, for a team making its first playoff appearance in nine years, just getting that far was a major step forward. And there's no doubt that beating the Celtics three times in Atlanta – all of them witnessed by raucous sellout crowds – provided a glimpse of what kind of support the Hawks could expect if they ever became a consistent winner.

"We are huge," Woodson said, relaxing in his Philips Arena office after conducting the last of his customary season-ending meetings with players and staff. "I couldn't be more happy for our team and the city of Atlanta and the fans that came out to support us. That meant they liked what we do. That says a lot from a coaching standpoint."

If Woodson sounded like he was making a pitch for his job, well, he probably was. The team hasn't told him if he'll be back for his fifth season with the Hawks.

Working in Woodson's favor: Atlanta has improved every season since he took over, culminating with a better-than-expected performance in the postseason. Working against the coach: His career record is a miserable 106-222 and some felt the team still underachieved this year with a 37-45 mark, the worst of any playoff team.

General manager Billy Knight actually met with the owners to discuss the possibility of replacing Woodson after making a deal for point guard Mike Bibby at the trade deadline. One of those owners, Michael Gearon Jr., insisted Monday that Knight never recommended that Woodson be fired, as has been portrayed in previous media reports.

"We had just gotten Bibby and the question was asked, 'What else can be do to improve?'" Gearon said. "We discussed, well, a change of coaches. But honestly, it was more of a debate. It was not a recommendation."

Several players, All-Star guard Joe Johnson among them, said they would like to see Woodson return. Gearon said the ownership group would take a few days to savor this season before it starts evaluating what would be best for next year.

"Let's take a breath of fresh air, get away from it for a period of time and let the emotions settle down," he said. "But I think Mike Woodson has gotten a lot more criticism than he deserves. If you look at the roster up until the trade for Bibby, his point guards had always been career-long backup point guards."

Woodson wants to return.

"There's no question about that," he said. "My staff and I wouldn't have it any other way. In terms of all the work we've put in the last four years, we would love to be back. My staff and I have to just quietly wait and see what happens."

While Gearon is only one owner among eight – and that doesn't even include Steve Belkin, who still has a stake in the team while going through a nasty court fight over attempts to buy him out – his opinion carries great influence within the group.

Judging from his public assessment of the coach, Gearon appears to be leaning toward keeping Woodson.

"I think he did an exceptional job once he had a competitive starting five," the owner said. "The biggest issue is can we learn to win on a consistent basis. One day, the light switch goes on and they get it. I feel like we're closer to that."

The Hawks have a promising corps of young players led by the 26-year-old Johnson. He's joined by Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress and rookie of the year runner-up Al Horford – none of them older than 24. Bibby turns 30 next week.

The first order of business is re-signing Smith and Childress, who are set to become restricted free agents. Beyond that, Johnson mentioned the need to balance out all the youth with some veterans, a concept that Woodson endorsed. The Celtics turned to players such as Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown off the bench, while the Hawks didn't have anyone to pick up the slack when Smith forgot to show up for Game 7 against the Celtics.

Whatever happens, there's no doubt the Hawks have made major strides since that 13-69 debacle of four seasons ago, when the team made the decision to totally dismantle the roster and go with youth.

"We proved a lot of people wrong," Smith said. "We just weren't able to get over that hump and shock the world. It's OK, though. I think we shocked the world enough." - AP

[AUSTIN316]

Lakers look to improve rebounding against Jazz
05/06/2008 | 06:28 PM
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EL SEGUNDO, California – Pau Gasol had a simple explanation for Utah's staggering 58-41 rebounding advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"We were a little slow reacting to the ball," the Lakers' center said Monday.

Kobe Bryant's reaction?

"It was either that or the two hands in the back," he said.

Despite the disparity, the Lakers beat the Jazz 109-98 Sunday to begin the best-of-seven series, thanks mainly to a 16-point advantage at the free throw line and Utah's 37.9 percent field goal percentage.

The Lakers realize there's no guarantee they'll shoot as many foul shots or the Jazz will misfire so often Wednesday night in Game 2.

"I think we'll do a better job (reacting to the ball) next game," Gasol said. "The way their offense is set up, they always have two or three guys in the paint. We didn't have our best game. At the same time, we're satisfied by the win."

The Lakers led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before the Jazz rallied to get within four with nearly five minutes left. But they would get no closer, and the Lakers made eight free throws without a miss in the final 44 seconds to win going away. They finished with 38 free throws in 46 attempts, while Utah went 20-of-32 at the line.

While Bryant made it clear he wasn't being critical of the Jazz, calling them a typical Jerry Sloan-coached team, he did say he expects the series to get more physical.

"I'm sure it will, it's playoff basketball," he said. "Utah plays physical anyway. Those guys, they play hard. They're not talking, they just play hard. We've just got to do a better job getting to their bodies."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said much the same thing.

"They play a very physical game, let the referees make a decision on what's a foul and what isn't," he said. "They scrum, they get in the lane, they're after the ball, they're pushing and shoving.

"It's not our style. We are going to play the kind of game we have to play. Just be more resilient, that's all."

Jackson also said he didn't believe Bryant will have the opportunity to go 21-of-23 from the foul line again, as he did in the opener.

"But they'll throw a lot of bodies at him, make the referees make a decision, contest his shots," Jackson said.

Utah's Carlos Boozer made it sound as if the Jazz intend to rely more on their strength.

"I think we can do a good job of getting the ball inside a little bit more," he said in Salt Lake City. "I think we settled for jump shots at times. We're stronger than them. They're longer than we are, but we have some guys that like to get in there and bang around a little big and move some bodies and try to get the ball, which is going to be the key for us in this series. We need to continue to go inside and make them work inside."

While the Lakers entered Game 1 having had five full days off, the Jazz had a quick turnaround, completing their first-round series Friday night, practicing and traveling to Los Angeles on Saturday, and playing on Sunday.

"Now things are squared up, they've gotten a couple days rest before the next game," Jackson said.

The Lakers are the only unbeaten team in the postseason, having swept Denver before getting the jump on Utah.

"Every game is Game 7. That's been our approach," Bryant said. "I think with each win, we get more confident. Utah is a much bigger challenge for us than the first round. I think Game 3 in Denver, we played well. Other than that, we've been playing in spurts. We haven't put together a complete game. I think that's good news."

Utah's Deron Williams, who shot 5-of-18 in the opener, said there was no reason for the Jazz to panic.

"It's a seven-game series," he said. "We've lost one game. We've just got to stay poised and try to get this next one. We want to try to get back to where we were. We don't want to go back to Salt Lake down 0-2. We've been in that situation before and it's not pretty." - AP

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Pistons' G Chauncey Billups wins sportsmanship award
05/06/2008 | 05:28 PM
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AUBURN HILLS, Michigan – Chauncey Billups was presented with the NBA's Walter J. Kennedy sportsmanship award Monday night before Detroit's playoff game against the Orlando Magic.

The award, which is voted on by the Professional Basketball Writers Association, is given to a player or coach who shows "outstanding service and dedication to the community."

Billups has hosted a charity golf tournament in Detroit in each of the last three summers, and also is involved in work in Minneapolis and his hometown of Denver.

"It's a great award," Billups said in a statement. "The thing about doing stuff like that, doing charity work and having a big heart, you never do it for the accolades. You do it for the kids. You try and teach kids a better way than the alternative, which is being in a neighborhood doing bad things, and getting bad results. It's good to be recognized for it, but at the same time, that's not why you do it." - AP

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LeBron comes to Boston to try to oust Celtics
05/06/2008 | 06:32 PM
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WALTHAM, Massachussets – Doc Rivers got a chance to see another side of LeBron James in February, when the Celtics coach was running the Eastern Conference All-Star team and the Cavaliers forward was winning the game's MVP award for the second time.

It wasn't the shooting: Rivers has seen James score 30 points just about every time he's played Boston. Or the rebounding that led Rivers to dub James "Shaq-at-guard." Or the passing the coach compared to a Nolan Ryan fastball.

"His focus in the timeouts," Rivers said after practice on Monday. "It actually caught me off guard. His eyes were like beaming at me. You don't see that often. Especially not at the All-Star game."

Rivers will have to watch James work from the other bench on Tuesday night when Cleveland comes to Boston for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Unfortunately, he didn't pick anything up while coaching James that will help him coach against him.

"I wish," Rivers said with a laugh. "As a matter of fact, I saw things the other way."

Before being held to a mere 26 points in their final regular-season matchup, James scored 30 or more in nine straight games against the Celtics – something only Wilt Chamberlain can match. Seven of those performances came before Boston put together its Big Three, though.

In three games this season, James averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and just under 10 assists.

"You've always got to keep an eye on him wherever he is on the court," said Paul Pierce, who will be primarily responsible for guarding the person he called "arguably the best player in the NBA."

"I'm not trying to turn this into a one-on-one. I know that I don't have to get 35 points and 15 rebounds for us to win."

That's because while Cleveland is largely LeBron and his supporting cast, the Celtics can boast three legitimate stars in Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Pierce and Allen also joined James at the All-Star game; Garnett sat out with an abdominal strain after finishing first in the NBA in fan voting.

Allen obviously enjoyed being James' teammate: The Celtics guard scored a game-high 28 points and made three straight 3-pointers in the last 3:15 to lead the East to victory.

What did he learn from playing with James?

"If I'd taken two more shots," Allen said with a smile, "I probably would have won the MVP."

Boston plays lip service to worrying about the rest of the Cavaliers, but Cleveland really has to spread its defense to cover the three All-Stars.

"I think with (Garnett), Ray and Paul, they feel like it's their time," Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "They had such a great regular season and they feel like this is their shot at winning it all. Because the longer you stay in the league, you realize how few and far between they are. They feel like this is their year."

The Celtics won an NBA-best 66 games in the regular season, then needed seven games to put away the upstart Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Cleveland needed six games to dispatch the Washington Wizards in the first round, winning the clincher when James scored 27 with 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Celtics and Cavaliers split their four games this season, with James and Garnett each sitting one out. Both teams won both games at home – a bad sign for Cleveland, which would have to win at least one in Boston to advance.

Although they couldn't beat Boston, the Hawks did give the Cavaliers some hope.

"They kind of had that arrogance about them all season by winning so many games that you were kind of not wanting to face them," Cavaliers guard Devin Brown said after practice on Monday. "But after seeing what we saw, I think we're ready to go." - AP

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Kobe Bryant finally wins most coveted MVP award
05/07/2008 | 07:10 AM
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LOS ANGELES - Finally, an MVP award for Kobe Bryant. Regarded as the NBA's best player for several years but never its most valuable, Bryant earned the honor at last on Tuesday after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. He called the award a blessing and an honor and emphasized that he wants another trophy this year.

"It's Hollywood, it's a movie script. The perfect ending would be for us to hold a championship trophy at the end of it," Bryant said at a news conference attended by his teammates, club officials, his wife and two daughters.

"This is an award I couldn't have won on my own. I can't thank these guys (his teammates) enough. These are my guys, these are my brothers. Let's get ready for tomorrow."

The Lakers try to take a 2-0 lead against Utah in their conference semifinal on Wednesday night. Bryant will receive the MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern before the game.

Bryant entered the season as the league's two-time defending scoring champion. He had finished as high as third in the MVP voting twice — after the 2002-03 season, when he averaged 30 points for the first time, and last year when Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki won.

"I don't know anybody who's ever deserved this trophy more. I don't know anybody who's ever worked as hard to accomplish what he's accomplished," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who had five-time MVP Michael Jordan with Chicago and was at the Lakers' helm when Shaquille O'Neal won the award in 2000.

Bryant received 82-first-place votes and 1,105 points in the media vote. He was followed by New Orleans' Chris Paul (28 and 889), Boston's Kevin Garnett (15 and 670) and Cleveland's LeBron James (1 and 438).

This season there was no denying the Lakers' 6-foot-6 star. Los Angeles rose to the top of the West despite key injuries and following Bryant's trade demands last spring when his team was eliminated in the first round by Phoenix for the second straight year.

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie in February. He put off surgery until after the Olympics.

The knock on the 29-year-old Bryant had been that he didn't make those around him better — not anymore.

"He's deserving in this particular season with all of the question marks and everything going on coming into the season and the uncertainty," teammate Derek Fisher said. "Not only did he statistically have an MVP type of season, everybody can reasonably say they were better this year because of what he did. He met the so-called criteria, elevating his teammates' games."

Word leaked last Friday night that Bryant had won the award.

Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind James, is the first Laker to win the MVP award since O'Neal. Other Lakers to win since the award was first presented in 1956 were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson — each times. Abdul-Jabbar also won three with Milwaukee.

Bryant and O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships, from 2000-02, and a berth in the finals in 2004. The Lakers hadn't won a playoff series since until sweeping Denver in the first round last month.

Bryant and O'Neal were often at odds during their eight years together. Assistant coach Brian Shaw, who played for the Lakers from 1999-03, has noticed a big difference in Bryant.

"He's a much better teammate now than he was in the championship days. That's a credit to his maturation. There were definitely times when he was not a good teammate. No one worked harder than he did. The same is true today," Shaw said.

"In terms of connecting with his teammates off the court, he didn't do that very much. Now, from what I hear, he goes out to dinner with them all the time. Who knows? Maybe he likes these teammates better than us," Shaw added with a laugh.

Bryant has said this was his best regular season and his most enjoyable — a far cry from his feelings last spring. First, he challenged the Lakers to upgrade their roster, then demanded a trade.

Things quieted down and Bryant said all the right things during training camp until Lakers owner Jerry Buss said he would listen to trade offers. That upset Bryant again, but he promised he would focus on basketball once the season began.

And so he did.

After a 9-8 start, the Lakers put it together. The most obvious upgrades were Fisher and Pau Gasol, acquired Feb. 1 from Memphis. The Lakers already had Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic — all former first-round draft choices — when Bryant had his tirade last spring. All three, especially the 20-year-old Bynum, showed great improvement, but the 7-footer hasn't played since injuring his left knee Jan. 13.

Another talented newcomer, Trevor Ariza, has been sidelined since breaking his right foot Jan. 20. Gasol missed nine games late in the season because of a sprained ankle.

Through it all, led by their MVP, the Lakers kept winning. And now they appear to have as good a chance as any team to win another NBA championship. - AP