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2013 NBA Finals: At home, Heat try to stop a fifth Spurs NBA title

June 18, 2013 By Admin

be22a4e20b1dfadabc0820123bdc5783 2013 NBA Finals: At home, Heat try to stop a fifth Spurs NBA title
San Antonio guard Tony Parker, of France, drives against Miami Heat’s LeBron James, left, during the second quarter of Game 5 in the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Sunday, June 16, 2013. The Spurs won 114-104, leading the best-of seven series 3-2. Parker scored 26 points. (AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, David Santiago) MAGS OUT.

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat weren’t supposed to be in this situation. Not now, anyway.

Coming home from Texas with their season on the line in 2011 was one thing. They were at the end of their first year together — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh still trying to figure it all out and clearly a long way from it.

But this season they were the NBA’s best team, one that lost three games in three months and made losing three times in one series look unlikely, if not downright unimaginable.

The San Antonio Spurs can finish Miami off tonight in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, reaffirming themselves as one of the league’s greatest franchises.

If so, the Heat’s Big Three once again go from celebrated to devastated.

“We’re going to see if we’re a better team than we were our first year together,” James said.

The Spurs took a 3-2 lead with their 114-104 victory Sunday night. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were all brilliant again, and Danny Green added to what could become one of the most out-of-nowhere finals MVP campaigns ever.

One more victory makes the Spurs 5-0 in the NBA Finals, keeping pace with Michael Jordan’s 6-0 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to make it here multiple times and never lose.

“We understand Game 6 is huge,” Parker said. “Obviously, you want to finish in the first opportunity you get. We understand that Miami is going to come out with a lot more energy, and they’re going to play better at home. They’re going to shoot the ball better. Their crowd is going to be behind them.”

None of that mattered two years ago.

Clearly reeling and their psyches shaken after dropping two straight games in Dallas, the Heat were blitzed early in Game 6. They never recovered, Bosh inconsolable as he made his way back to the locker room afterward while the Mavericks celebrated at center court.

James had to endure the criticisms that came with not getting it done in the finals, a story line that was put to rest last year but will be back again if the Heat don’t manage to put together consecutive victories.

“We challenge ourselves to see if we’re a better team than we were,” Wade said. “Same position no matter how we got to it.”

The Heat also would host Game 7 on Thursday. They’re trying to join the 1988 and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers and 1994 Houston Rockets as the only teams to rally from 3-2 down by winning the final two on their home floor since the NBA Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985.

Of course, the Heat — who won 27 in a row during the second-longest winning streak in league history — haven’t put together consecutive victories now in close to a month.

“We’re in a position where it’s a must-win and everything that we’ve done all year comes to this point, and we have to win,” Heat guard Ray Allen said. “We’ve found ourselves in so many situations this year, and we’ve thrived in tough moments because this is a tough team. We will be ready for Game 6.”

So will the Spurs, and the Heat know it.

“I’m sure this team, they’ve been here before many times. They understand winning that last game is one of the hardest things you’re going to do. And we understand it as well,” Wade said.

“But you know what? It’s the game; we’ve got to play it. I like our chances, just like they like their chances, in this series and in Game 6. We’ll see. We’ll see which team, which style is going to prevail.”

Their four titles have made the Spurs respected but never beloved. Their first, in 1999, came following a 50-game lockout season, and they certainly weren’t the team to help the NBA regain its jilted fan base.

Victories in 2003 against New Jersey, 2005 against Detroit and 2007 against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers were all low-rated, lukewarm-interest series in which the Spurs were supposed to win and did, just not in a way that erased the idea they had boring players with a boring brand of basketball.

Win this one, though, and they will surely get their due. They would be knocking off the league’s winningest team and the game’s best player, with Duncan at 37 and Ginobili soon to be 36, behind a more wide-open offense that has helped Green break Allen’s finals record for 3-pointers.

Not that they’re thinking about that, or anything else beyond Game 6 at this point.

“We’ll reflect back and let it hit us when it’s over. We still have a lot more work to do. There’s still some business to be done. We have to carry it out and finish it,” said Green, who was cut previously by the Cavaliers and Spurs and now has made 25 3-pointers in the first five games.

It looked as though the game was finally passing by the Spurs last year, when the young Oklahoma City Thunder blew by them with four straight victories after San Antonio had taken a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Heat routed the Thunder for the championship and the Spurs brought back essentially the same team, believing another year in their system for players like Green and Kawhi Leonard was a better option than seeking out some quick-fix outsider.

That’s almost always been the Spurs’ way, and it’s on the verge of again being the model for an NBA title — at the expense of the Miami one that once appeared to be the way champions would be built.

“I think every one of us wants this very badly from the top on down,” Duncan said. “We’re trying to play that way.”

2013 NBA Finals: At home, Heat try to stop a fifth Spurs NBA title is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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College Sports: Ex-WNBA chief suggests changes to NCAA basketball

June 18, 2013 By Admin

d288c9cb5d195e3c7a9f8bacfb80b370 College Sports: Ex WNBA chief suggests changes to NCAA basketball

(PhatzRadio / AP) — The WNBA’s first president feels women’s college basketball needs to make changes if the sport is to grow.

Val Ackerman was hired by the NCAA in November to assess the state of the women’s game. In a report submitted last week, Ackerman advised a series of ideas that would help. They included moving the Final Four back to a Friday-Sunday format, exploring a two-site super regional for the second week of the NCAA Tournament and returning to the top 16 teams hosting the first two rounds. In Ackerman’s proposal, the eight-team super regionals would be awarded to sites for three years at a time.

“A lot of the ideas came from the membership,” Ackerman said. “When I went into this a piece of the process involved interviewing those who were associated with the sport. My questions were open ended. What do you like? What would you change if you could? My sense was that ideas they’ve been kicking around for a long time. Some may not be new I just tried to corral them.”

The women’s basketball committee will meet next week in Nashville, Tenn., site of the 2014 Final Four, to discuss Ackerman’s paper. They will determine which, if any, of the recommendations they will implement.

While changing the dates of the Final Four may be more difficult for 2014, some of the other suggestions could be done for next year without too much trouble. No bids have been awarded yet for the opening two rounds and sites haven’t been announced for the regionals.

“I think the best way to answer that is to say that in 2014 there are number of things that are doable,” NCAA senior vice president for women’s basketball Anucha Browne Sanders said. “Changing dates to a Friday-Sunday format, top 16 teams hosting, those require some logistical challenges that we need to address.”

Gary Alexander, who is in charge of the Nashville Local Organizing Committee, said that they were asked if they could move the dates of the Final Four.

“We are looking to answer that question for Anucha and the women’s basketball committee,” he said. “We have to check with the arena, the convention center and all the hotels.”

Many of Ackerman’s ideas aimed at boosting attendance, which has become stagnant over the past few years. Last season, the NCAA averaged 5,466 for all tournament rounds, which was 17th since the tournament began in 1982.

Ackerman suggested moving forward in 2015 and beyond the NCAA Tournament could even have the top 32 teams host opening round games. Some of the most well- attended sites over the past few seasons have included teams not in the top 16 such as Gonzaga and Delaware. Ackerman would also like to see all three Divisions have their championship games in one city — something the men did this past year for the first time. She even went as far as to suggest the NCAA should look into having the men’s and women’s Final Four in the same city to gauge its popularity. That couldn’t happen until 2017 at the earliest.

“At first glance, I liked some of the proposals,” said MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor. “I personally favor going to the top 32 seeds for the first round. It’s a great way to get a lot of local interest at a wide range of schools. It also can save money by having 32 teams travel in the first round instead of 48.”

On a rules front, Ackerman thinks colleges should play with a 24-second shot clock and use four 10-minute quarters instead of two halves

College Sports: Ex-WNBA chief suggests changes to NCAA basketball is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NBA: Celtics stall talks on Doc Rivers-Kevin Garnett trade with Clippers

June 17, 2013 By Admin

536a42d3614b8447284b877f01386ff2 NBA: Celtics stall talks on Doc Rivers Kevin Garnett trade with Clippers
(File Phots – Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Story Highlights

Boston Celtics President Danny Ainge considering dealing coach Doc Rivers, center Kevin Garnett
USA TODAY Sports has learned Ainge is deciding on package from Los Angeles Clippers
Hangup could be Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe, who Celtics may decide they want to fill package

(PhatzRadio / AP) — The move that could send Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and center Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Clippers is still alive, but the two teams are at an impasse in discussions about how to make it happen. Still, a resolution is expected in the coming days.

The only question that matters at the moment is whether Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge eventually will decide that acquiring fifth-year center DeAndre Jordan and two future first-round picks is fair compensation for losing his coach and his 37-year-old big man. If he does, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, this deal will likely get done. If he doesn’t, and instead insists that third-year Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe must also be in the trade, then Rivers and Garnett would stay put and the Clippers would simply hire one of the coaching candidates who have interviewed for their vacant job (former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw lead that group). While Celtics small forward Paul Pierce is not part of the trade talks, he could be bought out of the final year of his contract this July ($5 million of his $15.3 million) and join Rivers and Garnett with the Clippers as a free agent if this deal went down. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.

While Rivers would not technically be part of the trade, the Celtics would allow the Clippers to sign him as part of the agreement. Rivers has a non-compete clause in his contract that would be nullified, and he would forgo the three years and $21 million remaining on his Celtics contract.The Clippers are prepared to pay him just less than $7 million annually, but only if they can bring him in without mortgaging their future by losing Bledsoe.

Yet if Rivers were willing consider giving back some of his earnings as a way to ease Ainge’s pain, that could be a way to nudge these negotiations along. The Celtics could move forward with a new coach whose salary would be, in essence, paid for by the old coach.

The Clippers’ refusal to let go of Bledsoe has everything to do with his potential as a trade piece to help them add another star player in the future. And the revelation of how they see him as part of their possible plans has exposed a new truth: the Clippers have considered the idea of trading power forward Blake Griffin.

Their interest in holding onto Bledsoe is, in part, tied to the notion that they could put him in a package with Griffin to do a sign-and-trade for Lakers center and free-agent-to-be Dwight Howard. It’s unclear whether the Lakers would consider the proposal if Howard decided not to re-sign with them, but it is a clear sign that the Clippers no longer see Griffin as the untouchable asset that he was once believed to be. Howard is merely one of a number of options being considered internally by the Clippers, with Orlando Magic guard Arron Afflalo and Indiana small forward Danny Granger also known to be on their radar.

For all the focus on the Clippers’ short-term aspirations to re-sign Paul as a free agent this summer and win a title next year, this is all part of their approach to sustain a new level of success. Garnett is at the tail-end of his career, and there will be a hole left to fill there sooner rather than later if he comes their way. He has two seasons and a combined $24.4 million left on his deal, though the final season (worth $12 million) is only protected for $6 million if he’s waived before July 15, 2014.

Thus, the stall in these most unique of negotiations that could transform two franchises on opposite coasts.

NBA: Celtics stall talks on Doc Rivers-Kevin Garnett trade with Clippers is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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2013 NBA Finals: Ginobili scores 24 points in surprise start, Spurs beat Heat to take series lead

June 17, 2013 By Admin

aacbdbc92d3afb74ad468751627454c2 2013 NBA Finals: Ginobili scores 24 points in surprise start, Spurs beat Heat to take series lead

(PhatzRadio / AP) — SAN ANTONIO – Manu Ginobili ran onto the floor as fans stood and screamed.

He went to the bench, and they chanted his name.

The sights and sounds of so many San Antonio spring nights were back Sunday — and the real party might be just a few days away.

Ginobili broke out of a slump in a big way with 24 points and 10 assists in his first start of the season, and the Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

Tony Parker scored 26 points, Tim Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Ginobili had his highest-scoring game of the season as the Spurs became the first team to shoot 60 per cent in a finals game in four years.

“He’s such a huge part of what we do and how far we’ve come. You can see it tonight in how we played and the results of the game,” Duncan said. “We’re always confident in him. … we know he has it in him. We hope he can bring it forward for one more win.”

Danny Green smashed the NBA Finals record for 3-pointers, hitting six more and scoring 24 points. Kawhi Leonard finished with 16, but the stage was set when Ginobili trotted out with Duncan, Parker and the rest of starters in what could have been the last finals home game for a trio that’s meant so much to San Antonio.

One more victory and the Spurs’ Big Three, not Miami’s, will be the one that rules the NBA.

And a big reason was Ginobili, as he’s been for so long — just not during what had been a miserable series for the former Sixth Man of the Year.

“I was angry, disappointed,” Ginobili said. “We are playing in the NBA Finals, we were 2-2, and I felt I still wasn’t really helping the team that much,” Ginobili said. “And that was the frustrating part.”

On Sunday, it was all forgotten.

“He’s obviously very popular. He’s been here a long time. He’s helped us have a lot of success over the years,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points for the Heat, who host Game 6 on Tuesday night. They need a victory to force the first Game 7 in the finals since the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010.

Miami’s Big Three formed a few weeks after that game, with predictions of multiple titles to follow. Now they’re a loss away from going just 1 for 3 in finals to start their partnership, while the Spurs could run their perfect record to 5 for 5.

“This is the position we’re in and the most important game is Game 6,” James said. “We can’t worry about a Game 7, we have to worry about Game 6.”

Duncan won his first title in 1999, and Parker and Ginobili were with him for three championships since. They have been the perfect partnership, keeping the Spurs in the hunt virtually every year while teams like the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns have all risen and fallen in the Western Conference during that time.

They remained unbeaten in Game 5s, including two previous victories when the series was tied at 2-2. Of the 27 times the finals have been tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner has won 20 of them.

Miami was the most recent loser, falling to Dallas in Game 5 in 2011 before being eliminated at home the next game.

“We’re going to see if we’re a better ballclub and if we’re better prepared for this moment,” Wade said.

San Antonio shot 42 of 70, right at 60 per cent. The last team to make 60 per cent of its shots in the finals was Orlando, which hit 62.5 in Game 3 against the Lakers in 2009, according to STATS.

“They just absolutely outplayed us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “At times they were just picking one guy out at a time and going at us mano-a-mano. That’s got to change.”

Ray Allen scored 21 points on the night for the Heat as he watched Green shatter his finals 3-point record. Green has 25 3s in the series. Allen made 22 3-pointers in six games in 2008 finals for Boston.

Chris Bosh scored 16 for Miami, Wade had 10 assists, and James had eight assists and six rebounds, but it was their defence that let the Heat down in this one.

The Heat were within one with 3:05 left in the third before Green hit yet another 3-pointer and Ginobili followed with the stretch that turned the game into the fourth straight blowout of the finals.

The crafty lefty plays with a flair developed on the courts of Argentina and perfected in Europe before coming to the NBA. He sees angles other players can’t and takes risks few others would, but his style has been the perfect fit alongside Duncan and Parker.

He converted a three-point play, tossed in a floater with his left hand as he drifted right, and found Tiago Splitter under the hoop with a pass to make it 85-74. He flipped in another runner with 2.9 seconds to go, sending the Spurs to the fourth with an 87-75 lead as fans chanted “Manu! Manu!” during the break between the third and fourth quarters.

Ginobili had been averaging just 7.5 points on 34.5 per cent shooting in the series, making only three of his 16 3-point attempts. But Popovich made the finals’ second lineup change in two games, after the Heat inserted Mike Miller to start Game 4.

Ginobili didn’t make a start this season and certainly hadn’t been playing like someone who belonged with the first five. But in the Spurs’ biggest game of the season, they remained confident he would break out, and they were right.

“I knew that I was not scoring much and I felt it in the air. But I tried not to care about it. I know I’m critical enough of myself to be worrying about what other people say,” Ginobili said.

It was the first time he scored 24 or more points since having 34 on June 4, 2012, against Oklahoma City, according to STATS.

The AT&T Center crowd roared when Ginobili was the last starter announced, the cheers growing louder when he made a jumper — originally ruled a 3-pointer but later overturned by replay — on the first possession. He assisted on the Spurs’ next three baskets, and it was 15-10 when he later hit a 3 that did count.

Parker picked it up from there, dancing his way into the lane repeatedly and scoring seven points in a 12-0 run that made it 29-17. Leonard’s 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left, on an assist from Ginobili, made it 32-19 and gave the Spurs 12 makes in 19 attempts (63 per cent) in the opening 12 minutes.

Green’s third straight 3-pointer made it 45-28 about 5 minutes into the second quarter, and it seemed the trend of blowouts would continue. But James suddenly got rolling during a 14-2 Miami spurt that cut it to five on his third consecutive Heat basket.

San Antonio made 21 of 34 shots (62 per cent) in the first half, opening a 61-52 lead on Parker’s drive with 0.4 seconds left.

Miami then ran off eight in a row to start the second half and get within one. They cut it to one again later in the period before Ginobili led the flurry that finished the Heat for good.

It was a fitting finish if it was the last home game in the finals for San Antonio’s star trio, which has combined for 101 playoff victories together. Ginobili has said he might think about retirement as he turns 36 next month, and Duncan is 37.

Both coaches said it was difficult waiting two days between games — Popovich said it was “like death” — though he did say it was great for the Spurs because they have some older players.

The break seemed to help his team early, particularly Parker, whose energy sagged in the second of Game 4 as he struggled with a strained hamstring that he said could tear at any time and would’ve had him sidelined during the regular season.

If things fall right for the Spurs, he’ll have plenty of time to heal after Tuesday.

Notes: The last team to lose Game 5 of a 2-2 series and then win the title was the Los Angeles Lakers, when they beat Boston in 2010. … The Spurs said Sunday that reserve guard Patty Mills had surgery to remove an abscess Friday and would miss the rest of the series. Mills had an infection in his right foot and the abscess developed between his fourth and fifth toes.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

2013 NBA Finals: Ginobili scores 24 points in surprise start, Spurs beat Heat to take series lead is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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WNBA Roundup: Streaking Mystics down slumping Fever 64-60

June 17, 2013 By Admin

6fd0433d448f778afeb65d3a59135740 WNBA Roundup: Streaking Mystics down slumping Fever 64 60
(Washington’s Ivory Latta (12) is closely guarded by Indiana’s Tamika Catchings in the second half of Sunday’s game in Washington, D.C. The Mystics beat the Fever 64-60.)

Mystics 64, Fever 60

(PhatzRadio / AP) — A lot has changed for Washington and defending WNBA champion Indiana.

Ivory Latta scored 17 points, and Crystal Langhorne had all 16 of her points in the second half to help the Mystics win their third straight game over the slumping Fever on Sunday.

Monique Currie scored 10 points for the Mystics (4-1), riding their longest winning streak since closing the 2010 season with six straight.

Langhorne, who made all five of her field-goal attempts, broke a 58-58 tie with four straight free throws in the final 23.9 seconds.

In 2012, the Mystics finished 5-29. In the last 10 days under new coach Mike Thibault, Washington has beaten Indiana and Minnesota, last year’s WNBA finalists, and Connecticut, the team Thibault coached to the Eastern Conference regular-season title. Five points or less decided all three victories

“We’re pulling out games,” Langhorne said. “The past few years in the last five minutes of a game, we would lose it. This year we’re showing a whole different mentality. We’re closing out games.”

Shavonte Zellous led the short-handed Fever (1-5) with 17 points, and Tamika Catchings scored 16, but the defending champions dropped their fifth straight game.

Thibault, fired by the Sun after last season and hired by the Mystics in December, reminded his team mid-game about feeding Langhorne inside. Last year’s leading scorer did not attempt a field goal in the first half.

“At halftime, I reintroduced (Langhorne) to her teammates,” the coach cracked. “Told them she plays on our team and it would be a good thing if they threw her the ball once in a while.”

Late in the game Langhorne, who entered making only 41.7 percent of her free throws, did not rely on others for ball possession. Her first pair of free throws came after maneuvering past Catchings to grab Latta’s air ball. Langhorne was fouled on the attempted putback.

“Down the stretch, the key play was definitely the missed box out,” Catchings said. “Langhorne got the key rebound over me and that kind of sparked them.”

On Indiana’s next possession, Langhorne and Michelle Snow altered Karima Christmas’ game-tying layup attempt. Langhorne picked up the loose ball and returned to the free throw line after a foul by Christmas with 7.8 seconds left.

Latta added two free throws in the final seconds as Washington made 16 of 19 overall.

“The chemistry is building,” Latta said. “I’m glad it’s building in the fourth quarter. Indiana is a great team and they’re out a couple of people, but at the same time we’re getting better each and every day.”

The Fever played their fourth straight game without All-Star Katie Douglas, out since May 31 with a bulging disk in her lower back. Injuries have kept Jessica Davenport, Erin Phillips and Jeanette Pohlen off the court all season.

The Father’s Day win was the 210th overall for Thibault, whose son Eric is an assistant with Washington. The active leader in wins among WNBA coaches, Thibault is just one behind Van Chancellor’s record of 211 victories.

Dream 88, Sky 74

Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points, and Erika de Souza had 16 points and 11 rebounds to help Atlanta beat Chicago.

Tiffany Hayes also had 16 points for Atlanta (5-1), and Jasmine Thomas added 13. Elena Delle Donne led Chicago (4-2) with 25 points, Allie Quigley had 14, and Sylvia Fowles finished with 10 rebounds.

The Dream led by 18 points in the first quarter, but didn’t pull away until going on a 20-10 run in the fourth quarter that included nine straight points after the Sky cut it to six.

Each team was missing a key player. Epiphanny Prince, averaging 20.7 points to lead the Sky, is playing for the Russian national team. Sancho Lyttle, the Dream’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, is with Spain’s national team.

Mercury 108, Shock 103 (OT)

Diana Taurasi scored 29 points, and DeWanna Bonner had 23 to help Phoenix beat Tulsa.

Candice DuPree added 20 points and 10 rebounds, rookie Britney Griner finished with 16 points, and Charde Houston had 10 for the Mercury (3-3).

Glory Johnson had career-best 32 points for Tulsa (1-7). Riquna Williams added a career-high 28, hitting six 3-pointers, and rookie Skylar Diggins had a season-best 22.

The second half featured eight ties and 11 lead changes before Taurasi took over, scoring eight points in the overtime period.

WNBA Roundup: Streaking Mystics down slumping Fever 64-60 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com