June 13 HOME - SPORTS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION PART 6
NBA PLAYOFFS SPORT NEWS & MLB NEWS
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Free NBA PLAYOFF Picks- (associated press): portland wins nba lottery.
Two longshots from the Pacific Northwest won the NBA draft lottery and the right to select
can't-miss picks Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.
The luck of the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle SuperSonics also left outgoing Memphis
Grizzlies president Jerry West calling for the league to dump the weighted lottery system
that rarely has helped the league's worst team.
West was fuming Tuesday night after the Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee
Bucks, the teams with the league's three worst records, got the fourth, fifth and sixth
choices in the June 28 draft in New York behind Portland, Seattle and Atlanta.
Portland, which only had a 5.3 percent chance of winning, beat the odds and won the right
to select either Oden or Durant. The SuperSonics will get the other and the Hawks, who had
the fourth worst record, will have the pick of the rest of the draft that might be one of
the deepest in years.
''It's about as disappointing as you could ever hope for,'' West said minutes after the
lottery was announced at the NBA Entertainment Center. ''It's like pitching pennies. It's
grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I
never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.
''There have been a lot of picks in the lottery that have (failed). There are two in the
lottery this year that are not going to fail. There are two superstars in the draft. I
think for the teams fortunate enough to get them, the fortunes of their franchises have
changed forever.''
That will be Portland and Seattle.
For the Trail Blazers, the lottery was sweet revenge. A year ago, they had the worst record
in the league and ended up with the fourth pick.
Now they will have the top pick for the fourth time franchise history. Two were duds (LaRue
Martin and Mychal Thompson). The other was a fellow named Bill Walton and he led them to an
NBA title.
''Huge, unbelievably huge,'' general manager Kevin Pritchard said. ''Franchise making. ...
Rip City again, here we come.''
Pritchard would not say whether the Trail Blazers would pick Oden, the center who led Ohio
State to the NCAA championship game, or Durant, a high-scoring forward who made Texas fun
to watch.
''Either one, you can't go wrong,'' said Brandon Roy, the NBA rookie of the year who
represented the Trail Blazers.
The 7-foot Oden is the likely top pick, because dominant centers are harder to find.
Milwaukee will go sixth, followed by Minnesota, Charlotte and Chicago, which had the rights
to New York's pick through the Eddy Curry trade. Sacramento will be 10th, followed by the
Hawks, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Since the NBA switched to a weighted lottery system in 1994, only two NBA teams with the
best chance of landing the top pick have gotten it - the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1993
(LeBron James) and the Orlando Magic (Dwight Howard) the following year.
This marked the first time since 1993 that the three worst teams all dropped out of the top
three.
''This is not sour grapes, it is not,'' West said. ''I didn't expect we would get No. 1 or
No. 2. I just don't like it at all. No other sport does it this way.''
The presence of the Oden and Durant created a lot of interest in the lottery. More than 100
media received credentials.
Oden averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds despite being limited for much of
the season while recovering from right wrist surgery.
Durant led the Big 12 with 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and was the AP national
player of the year.
Portland, which had a great draft night in 2006 by getting Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge
through trades, had more than luck on its side.
''I have one lucky charm, my daughter gave it to me, it's a little ladybug pendant,''
Pritchard said of his 10-year-old daughter, Kendall.
It worked.
With either Oden or Durant, interest in the SuperSonics should pick up. The Sonics haven't
been able to get a new arena and aren't guaranteed to be in Seattle past next season.
''Hopefully it gets people more excited,'' Sonics president of basketball operations Lenny
Wilkens said. ''Seattle has great fans. And like we say, it's not over until the fat lady
sings.''
The Hawks were the other big winner Tuesday. Moving up one spot saved them from having to
send their pick to the Suns as a result of the Joe Johnson trade. And Atlanta also picked
up Indiana's pick, No. 11, from the Al Harrington deal since the Pacers stayed put.
''This gives us a chance to look at what really need as far as helping us progress as a
franchise,'' Hawks vice president and former star Dominique Wilkins said. ''This is big for
us. Everybody wants the No. 1, No. 2 picks. But any time you get in the top three picks,
this is monumental for us.''
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): jazz down 2 games in series with spurs.
The Utah Jazz had a mirror-image meltdown in Game 2 of the Western Conference final.
The Jazz never led against the San Antonio Spurs, got only as close as seven points in the
fourth quarter before losing 105-96 Tuesday night.
The Jazz struggled in the second quarter of Game 2 just as they did during Game 1, meaning
that for the second time in the playoffs they are down two games as they head home for
Games 3 and 4 against San Antonio.
Down 26-24 after the first 12 minutes, they were outscored by the Spurs 32-17 in the second
quarter. At the break, San Antonio was up 58-41.
On Sunday in Game 1 the Jazz were down 23-20 after one before San Antonio outscored them
31-16 in the second quarter for a 54-36 halftime lead. A late run by the Jazz brought them
as close as seven in the fourth, but the Spurs won 108-100.
What happened to close the second summed up Utah's rough night.
With under a minute to play in the half, Utah didn't get a shot off before the shot clock
expired, and the Spurs' Brent Barry hit a 3 from the corner to put San Antonio up 58-41
with 8.9 seconds left in the half. The Jazz got two more possessions after that, but gave
up the ball both times for their ninth and 10th turnovers of the night.
Carlos Boozer took on the role of Deron Williams, who had a career-high 34 points on
Sunday, during Game 2. Boozer had 33 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Williams with 26
points and 10 assists.
The Jazz were down 0-2 in their first-round series with the Houston Rockets. They forced a
Game 7 in Houston and won, sending them to the Western Conference semifinals against the
Golden State Warriors. The Jazz won that series in five games.
The Jazz, in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1998, have now lost 18
straight games in San Antonio, dating to 1999.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): rockets hire adelman.
The Houston Rockets hired Rick Adelman to replace Jeff Van Gundy, hoping the veteran NBA
coach can break the team's recent history of postseason flops.
''I always knew I was going to look for something eventually,'' Adelman said Tuesday night
as he arrived at an airport in Houston, where he was met by team officials. ''This is
obviously just a great situation with the city, the organization. I'm really excited. This
is a team that played so solid last year. You can build on that.''
The Rockets will introduce Adelman at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Adelman, 60, brings an up-tempo, high-scoring system to Houston, a stark contrast to Van
Gundy's more defense-minded and methodical approach. Van Gundy was fired Friday after the
Rockets were bounced from the opening round of the playoffs for the third time in his four
seasons.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): draft order.
1. Portland
2. Seattle
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Boston
6. Milwaukee
7. Minnesota
8. Charlotte
9. New York-x
10. Sacramento
11. Atlanta (from Indiana)
12. Philadelphia
13. New Orleans
14. LA Clippers
15. Detroit (from Orlando)
16. Washington
17. New Jersey
18. Golden State
19. LA Lakers
20. Miami
21. Philadelphia (from Denver)
22. Charlotte (from Toronto through Cleveland)
23. Chicago-x
24. Phoenix (from Cleveland through Boston)
25. Utah
26. Houston
27. Detroit
28. San Antonio
29. Phoenix
30. Philadelphia (from Dallas through Denver and Golden State)
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): James needs to play the star card to give Cavs a chance.
It's not often a pro athlete needs to be more selfish, to ignore his teammates and grab
some glory for himself. It's even rarer when that athlete is a superstar, for whom
entitlement is pretty much a birthright.
LeBron James, though, isn't your average superstar. He's polite. He humble. He plays well
with others. Admirable qualities, to be sure - but not at this time of year.
If James doesn't start copping some major 'tude soon, he and the Cleveland Cavaliers may as
well break out the sun block and beach towels now. Big games from Zydrunas Ilgauskas and
Anderson Varejao are nice, but the Cavs have no hope of getting past the Detroit Pistons
unless James takes control.
''I don't think he forced anything,'' Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said after James spent
much of Monday's 79-76 loss as 6 1/2-point underdogs, making his teammates look good. ''But
I don't mind him being more aggressive and more selfish at times.''
No wonder.
James was an assist away from a triple-double against the Pistons, finishing with nine and
10 rebounds. But he also went scoreless in the first quarter, finished with a playoff-low
10 points, never got to the free throw line and passed up several shots, including a
driving layup that could have tied the game with 5.9 seconds left.
James had only a few feet to cover and Tayshaun Prince to beat for the layup. Instead, he
kicked the ball out to Donyell Marshall, who missed the 3, effectively ending Cleveland's
chances of stealing Game 1.
Give Michael Jordan that same shot, and he doesn't give the ball up for anybody.
''I go for the winning play,'' an unapologetic James said afterward. ''The winning play,
when two guys come at you and a teammate is open, is to give it up. It's as simple as
that.''
Not quite.
Look, James is the best thing to happen to the NBA since Jordan retired after the 1998
finals (that's hiatus No. 2 for those keeping track). He's dazzling to watch, able to do
things that defy imagination and gravity. He's resurrected a franchise that was sliding
toward irrelevance, carrying the Cavs to their first conference finals appearance in 15
years in only his fourth season.
And he's been equally impressive off the court.
Though he made the jump straight from high school, the 22-year-old can teach some 35-year
olds a thing or two about maturity. He recognizes that he's the face of the league - the
latest Heir Jordan, if you will - and has embraced the responsibilities and obligations
that come with that.
But if there's a knock on James, it's that he's too good. Too much of a team player. More
Magic than Michael.
''You've got to take what's there,'' James insisted. ''My game is not solely on taking a
lot of shots. I'm going to continue to say that. It's the only answer I can give you.''
No one is asking him to channel Kobe Bryant. One petulant, ballhog of a star is more than
enough for the NBA. But there's a time and a place to be selfless, and right now, a little
more ego wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Go ahead, get the rest of the Cavs involved. Set them up the way you did in the first half,
when Ilgauskas was dominating inside like Shaquille O'Neal. Let them build a little
confidence so they're comfortable taking a shot when necessary.
When it's crunch time, though, it's time to show what everyone knows you can do, to put on
the kind of display that keeps opposing coaches at the greaseboard long into the night.
''The idea,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said, ''is to try and contain LeBron as much as
you can.''
Make them do it. Don't do it for them.
From the day he arrived in the NBA, Jordan wanted the ball in his hands when it mattered
most. He lived to take the big shots, reveling in being the man who broke the spirit of his
opponents and the hearts of their fans.
But he didn't become a champion until he accepted the fact he couldn't do it by himself.
There were times he needed help from his supporting cast. Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright,
John Paxson, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr - all were brushstrokes in the Jordan masterpiece.
James has the opposite problem. Oh, he has the passion to be a champion all right. As he
walked down the tunnel on his way back to the court for the second half Monday night, he
scanned the box score. He'd barely been a factor, yet the Cavs were leading the favored
Pistons by six.
When a reporter asked how it looked, however, he tore up the box and threw it in the
garbage.
Shredding a piece of paper isn't the same as destroying the competition. To be a champion
like Jordan, he has to prove he's really a star, ego and all.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (covers.com): low scores anticipated in cavs pistons series.
The suits working in the NBA head office must be happy LeBron James – the league’s most
marketable star – advanced to the Eastern finals but the series between the Detroit Pistons
and Cleveland Cavaliers isn't exactly must-see T.V.
Both teams are known for their dedication to defense and oddsmakers adjusted by releasing
the lowest total in this year’s playoffs.
Pete Korner of Sports Club consulting service in Las Vegas said he wouldn’t be surprised if
the total gets even lower as the series progresses.
“I just feel like it’s going to be a slowed down, grueling pace,” Korner said. “It could be
very difficult to watch. A slow pace really prevents a high-scoring game. One team may get
hot and score some points, but it won't be like a 14-2 run in three minutes like Golden
State or Phoenix can pull off. It’d be more like an 8-2 run over five minutes.”
In spite of the low expectations, the Pistons aren’t the same team they were when Larry
Brown was the coach and Ben Wallace was patrolling the paint. Flip Saunders is an
offensive-minded coach and Chris Webber brings scoring and little defense to the pivot
position. The Pistons start five players who can all shoot and score, so how did they end
up with an over/under record of 36-44-2 this year?
“I believe that the Pistons defense is very strong when they want to be and that’s the real
key,” says Covers Expert Scott Richenbach. “Note that Detroit was able to force the Bulls
into some awful performances when the Pistons brought their 'A' game defensively.”
The boys from Motor City proved they could still play defense in the regular season. Only
the San Antonio Spurs allowed fewer points than Detroit and the team was also in the top
five field goal defense.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown employs a defense-first ideology coupled with an easy-does-it
offensive attitude, which helped the total play under in five of six games in the last
round. Cleveland and Detroit have also played under in eight of their last 10 meetings.
The Pistons believe the best way to defend Cleveland is by limiting James. If you watched
the Cavs' last game of the second round, Detroit's logic appears sound. Cleveland scored
only eight points and almost surrendered a large lead to the New Jersey Nets in the third
quarter because James was on the bench with foul trouble.
“I don’t want to give out all our secrets,” backup point guard Lindsey Hunter said of his
team’s strategy. “But we just want to make him work extremely hard and give him a lot of
different looks to not let him get comfortable and settled in on how we’re going to guard
him. We want him to think and to tire him out.”
Pistons small forward Tayshaun Prince, an excellent defender, will have the primary task of
slowing down the Cavs superstar, but he will have help.
“I think Detroit’s zone will be successful in keeping LeBron James under wraps and this
will further lend itself to an under,” Richenbach says. “Based on the opening number in
Game 1, the oddsmaker is expecting a final score of approximately 90-84. Despite 176 ½
seeming like such a low number, that final score is really not that unrealistic.”
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