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Spurs erase 24-point deficit, take commanding 3-0 lead against Clippers

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:37:02 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 19, 2012

Tim Duncan scored 19 points, helping engineer a defining 24-0 run in the third quarter, and San Antonio defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 96-86 on Saturday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

“We didnt plan on being down that much,” said Duncan, who at 36 is hungry to win the teams fifth NBA championship and first since 2006-07. “We stuck with it.”

More on Spurs-Clippers Column Ken Berger
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Led by Tony Parkers 23 points and his defense on an ailing Chris Paul, the Spurs kept running their plays even as Blake Griffins early offensive assault buried them in a huge hole. Griffin missed three shots in the first half, when he scored 20 points and carried his team to a 24-point lead despite a left hip injury and a sprained right knee.

“They came out like we expected, very strong. Blake was making crazy shots,” Parker said. “We just took our time. Its a long game, a very long game. At halftime, we were very calm.”

Griffin had 28 points and 16 rebounds, and reserve Mo Williams added 19 points for the Clippers, who face some daunting NBA history heading into Game 4 on Sunday at Staples Center. No team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

“If we dont play with that sense of urgency, its not going to be pretty,” Griffin said.

The Clippers played a must-win Game 7 in the opening round on the road at Memphis and succeeded.

“We have to keep fighting,” Paul said.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 14 points and Manu Ginobili 13 to help the top-seeded Spurs win their 17th in a row and improve to 7-0 in the playoffs.

“We all struggled in the first quarter. We didnt feel right out there,” said Duncan, who like his teammates, looked to Parker to pick the team up.

“We follow his lead. He stuck with it, made some big shots down the stretch and continued to attack,” Duncan said. “He was playing defense really hard and got up into Chris.”

Besides Parker, the Spurs threw two other defenders at Paul. He finished with 12 points and 11 assists after two previous sub-par efforts in the series.

“Tony really ran the show well,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Id say, `Lets do this and he said, `No, lets do this, and wed do it.”

After a quiet first half in which he scored eight points, Duncan helped the Spurs control the third quarter when they outscored Los Angeles 26-8.

The Spurs took their first lead during the 24-0 run on a fadeaway jumper by Duncan, who scored nine points in the outburst that put them ahead for good. Danny Green added seven and Leonard five.

“We kept telling Kawhi and Danny to stay calm,” Parker said.

The Clippers defense completely faltered and they piled up miss after miss on the offensive end.

“When they spread the floor and Tim Duncan runs a high pick-and-roll, its trouble for a lot of teams,” Griffin said. “Thats basically what killed us in the third. This is what they do best.”

The Clippers scored the final four points of the third, which ended with a turnover by Williams, to trail 69-61 heading into the fourth.

“You knew they were going to make a run. It was just a matter of trying to withstand it,” Griffin said. “In the second half, especially the third quarter, we did a poor job of responding.

“I missed some shots I hit in the first half, easy shots.”

San Antonio led by 11 points early in the fourth before the Clippers got within seven on consecutive baskets by Williams. Gary Neal hit a 3-pointer to launch a 13-9 spurt, capped by Parkers 3-pointer, that extended the Spurs lead to 89-78. Paul, so dominant in the final period during the regular season, was limited to four points.

“I felt like we were playing good, but if you know anything about the Spurs, you know they are not going to let up,” Paul said. “Everybody knows how explosive the Spurs are, but we just could not get a stop.”

Reggie Evans, a defensive spark for the Clippers off the bench, missed 6 of 8 free throws in the final 3:42.

“They play the same whether theyre up 20 or down 20,” Griffin said of the veteran Spurs. “Their communication and rotations are so good. Offensively, they know exactly what theyre going to do in every situation.”

The Spurs were 9 of 22 from 3-point range, with Leonard hitting three.

Los Angeles came in 2-1 at home in the playoffs and 24-9 during the regular season. With their red-clad sellout crowd on its feet, the Clippers were still shooting 63 percent midway through the second quarter, when Griffins one-handed dunk kept them ahead by 20 points.

The Spurs closed the half on a 15-5 spurt, with Parker and Ginobili scoring five each, to trail 53-43 at the break. Griffin missed just three of his 13 shots in the first half, when the Clippers controlled the boards and the paint.

The Clippers opened the game with a rush, outscoring the Spurs 33-11 while shooting 64 percent. Los Angeles ended the first quarter on a 20-2 run, including 14 in a row. Griffin scored 12 points in the spurt, hitting eight straight while the Spurs committed six turnovers and made just five of 20 field goals.

Notes

The Clippers have lost 29 of 33 games against the Spurs dating to Dec. 1, 2003. The Clippers have dropped all three games in the series by double digits. The Clippers have lost all six of their playoff series in franchise history after losing Game 1. The teams were even in the paint with 44 points each after the Spurs had dominated there in Game 2. The Clippers controlled the boards, 44-41, after being outrebounded in seven of their previous nine playoff games.

Pacers survive late against Heat, tie series at one win apiece

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:37:01 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 15, 2012

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

More on Pacers-Heat Related links NBA Expert Picks: Conference Semifinals Playoff schedule Team updates: Pacers | Heat Video LeBron bricks free throws late James, Granger get testy Wade called for flagrant foul on Collison More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Boshs absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldnt connect on either, and the Heat didnt score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. W and no other Miami player scored more than allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indianas Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers werent rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miamis lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid q a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, follow erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collisons jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indianas first half was offens the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

Notes

James six steals were a Heat playoff record. … Trying to exploit the size advantage with Bosh out, the Pacers gave Hibbert three shots in the first 1:11 of the game. He got three the rest of the game. … Wade is now 39-11 in home playoff games. … James will play his 100th playoff game Thursday.

Heat survive Pacers, rally out win in Game 1; Bosh injured

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:37:02 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 13, 2012

The MVP didnt care, not after he and the Miami Heat struck the first blow against the Indiana Pacers.

More on Pacers-Heat Analysis Royce Young
Pacers miss out on major opportunity vs. Heat in Game 1 Related links Bosh exits early with abdominal injury Moore: Heat close out Pacers in a whirlwind Expert Picks: Western Conference semis More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

James accepted his third MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then scored 26 of his game-high 32 poi as the Heat survived some rough stretches to beat the Pacers 95-86 on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“I just looked at him straight in the eyes and said, `You can flat-out not get tired, period,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And he made MVP plays on both ends of the court.”

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points for the Heat, who won the game but lost Chris Bosh for the second half and possibly longer. Bosh scored 13 points before leaving late in the first half with a lower abdominal strain, with the team saying he was being scheduled for an MRI exam to determine the severity.

“Hopefully [Monday] we get good news,” Wade said. “We all just want to make sure Chris is healthy. So thats all we know right now. Our brother is going to go [Monday] to see if he can get back out there and play with us. If not, then weve got to have someone step up very big. You cant fill Chris Boshs shoes, but you can have a few guys step up. So well see.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill. Indiana controlled long stretches of the first half and didnt trail by more than two points at any time until the fourth quarter, when it was outscored 25-16.

Indiana shot 50 percent in the first half, 30 percent in the second.

“We started to get defensive stops,” James said. “We started getting things rolling.”

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

“Were not just here to play. Were here to win,” Hibbert said. “We need to win Game 2 and come back strong.”

Playing one star down, James and Wade raised their games accordingly after halftime. They combined for 42 points in the third and fourth quarters, four more than the entire Indiana roster. The Pacers scored 16 in the fourth, and James had that many alone.

“We definitely let this one get away,” Indianas Paul George said. “It seemed like we werent supposed to win this one. Everybody in this room knew we had this game.”

Everything was undecided until the final moments. Hill made a 3-pointer with 4:51 left, getting Indiana within 86-85. But the Pacers missed their final nine shots of the game, James had a dunk in transition to make it 90-85 with 4:10 left, and his jumper with 31.8 seconds remaining wrapped up the Heat win.

“Its a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who were playing, what round, its tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Spoelstra said. “And thats what it was.”

From his seat a few rows above the court, it was like Stern knew what was coming long before it happened.

Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony. Later, in a televised in-game interview, Stern told ABC that James is just “warming up” with three MVPs, a total that only seven other players have reached.

“Hes a great player,” Stern said. “He is so strong and so athletic and so determined when he decides to take over a game, hes extraordinary to watch.”

Before Sunday, the last time someone had as many as 32 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a playoff game was Vince Carter in May 2006, according to STATS LLC. Plus, James played a big role in someth Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I dont know if hes going to have a huge offensive series,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat mi a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

“Definitely not our best game,” Vogel said. “We didnt shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and youve got to give credit to Miamis defense.”

In the pregame MVP ceremony, James told fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the and it wasnt Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address, that being Boshs injury. He got hurt with 1:06 left in the half on a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“Its unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, `Be healthy. We got `em.”

Notes

Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. The fans in Miami booed when and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about two minutes later. It was Miamis 13th straight postseason win at home against East opponents.

Clippers quash Grizz rallies to advance to Western semis

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:37:02 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 13, 2012

Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday.

“Thats why its seven games,” Martin said. “If you dont do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor. … We had a chance to close it out. We knew we let it go, an opportunity get away.”

The Clippers blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter Friday night. So Martin huddled the Clippers together at the start of the fourth quarter Sunday, and the veteran led the bench in outscoring the Grizzlies 25-16. Chris Paul had the only bucket by a starter in the final 12 minutes, and the Clippers bench outscored the Memphis reserves 41-11 overall.

“Our bench was our MVP,” Clippers guard Randy Foye said. “They realized what they had to do. We had a lot of guys hurt, so we just continued to grind.”

More on Clippers-Grizzlies Column Gary Parrish
Clippers ditch adversity, advance; Grizz wonder what might have been Related links Moore: Grizz fail to grind out decisive win Moore: Where does Memphis go from here? Expert Picks: Western Conference semis More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

Now, the Clippers have their third postseason series win in 41 years and their second since relocating to Los Angeles. They last beat Denver in 2006. The Clippers also avoided becoming the ninth NBA team to blow a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 series in moving on to play the top-seeded Spurs starting Tuesday night in San Antonio.

“I want the guys to enjoy this, and then well regroup tomorrow and focus in on that,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “But obviously another big challenge for us.”

Paul scored 19 points despite playing with a strained right hip flexor. Nick Young had nine of his 13 off the bench in the fourth as the Clippers finished off the series with their biggest margin of victory. Paul was so confident of victory he bought plane tickets for his wife and son to San Antonio on Saturday.

“I felt like we should have won earlier,” Paul said. “But it doesnt matter. As long as you win, I think it is a step in the right direction for our franchise.

Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol each had 19 for Memphis, which lost a Game 7 at Oklahoma City a year ago in the second round of the playoffs. Zach Randolph had a game-high 12 rebounds.

“Unfortunately, no one on the bench stepped up and helped us,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said.

The Clippers, who trailed 56-55 after three quarters, took control by opening the fourth with an 11-2 run started by a jumper by Martin. He tipped in a shot for a 66-58 lead with 8:41 left. Mo Williams matched the Clippers biggest lead to that point at 10 with a 3-pointer pushing it to 71-61 with 7:04 left in a 16-5 spurt to open the quarter.

“They hit shots in a hurry,” Gay said of the Clippers. “They made plays off our turnovers, and they just converted, something we werent doing at that time.”

Los Angeles finished off the win by hitting 9 of 10 free throws in the final 3:26. The Clippers also managed to outrebound the Grizzlies 46-44 for only the second time this series.

Memphis got away from the inside-out approach that won the last two games. The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 36-24, but Randolph said they took far too many jumpers instead of feeding the ball to Gasol and himself.

“You have to take your hats off to them because they played good,” Randolph said of the Clippers. Chris had a good game, and their bench played terrific.”

The home-court advantage that didnt help the Grizzlies when they blew a 27-point lead in Game 1 didnt help again Sunday as they went cold from the floor. Gasols one-handed dunk with 3:09 left was Memphis last field goal down the stretch as the Grizzlies hit only 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter and finished the game missing all 13 3-pointers.

This series has been physical and grinding from the opening tip, and neither team backed down in a winner-take-all game.

The Clippers and Grizzlies scrapped and fought for every ball with each possession feeling like a knockdown, drag-out fight. Memphis should have had an advantage against the hobbled Clippers tipping off when they usually eat breakfast on the West Coast. Blake Griffin scored only eight points and looked tentative most of the game with a sprained left knee.

Del Negro said Griffins knee tightened up on him as the game went on, and Griffin played only 1:39 of the fourth quarter. Not that it mattered the way the Clippers bench came through.

The Grizzlies even brought out wrestler Jerry Lawler to help stoke up the sold-out crowd, but both teams showed the fatigue of a quick turnaround from Game 6 on Friday night in Los Angeles. The Clippers missed nine of their first 10 shots, while the Grizzlies missed seven of nine.

“It was Game 7 pressure and jitters,” Hollins said. “We wanted to do well. We just wanted to let it rip. You walk up here and have two strikes on you in the ninth inning and you have to let it rip. And we didnt.”

The Clippers shook off the exhaustion thanks to their bench.

The Grizzlies managed to pull within 39-38 at halftime even though they kept struggling to find the basket. Mike Conley missed his first seven shots with his drought stretching to the free throw line where he missed his first attempt. Conley didnt hit his first bucket until a jumper in the early seconds of the third quarter. Conley finished with seven points on 2 of 13 shooting.

Notes

Del Negro now is 1-1 in Game 7s, losing his first in the 2009 first-round while coaching Chicago against Boston. Hollins now is 0-2 in Game 7s. Griffin finished playing 28 minutes and was 3 of 11 from the floor. He had four rebounds. The Grizzlies shot 32.5 percent (25 of 77) from the floor, their worst percentage of the series.

Gasol, World Peace help Lakers outlast Nuggets, advance to Western semis

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:37:01 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 13, 2012

A few minutes later, the truth was as undeniable as that 7-foot Spaniard. Although the Nuggets drove them to the brink of playoff collapse, the Los Angeles Lakers still have the tenacity to win on the biggest nights of the postseason.

Even when Kobe Bryant doesnt lead them.

Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, Metta World Peace scored 15 points in his return from a seven-game suspension, and the Lakers outlasted Denver for a thrilling 96-87 victory Saturday night to win their first-round series.

Steve Blake scored a playoff career-high 19 points and Bryant had a quiet 17 points and eight assists against regular double-teams for the Lakers, who blew a 16-point lead in the second half before surviving a finale with wild momentum swings and furious physical play.

More on Nuggets-Lakers Column Ken Berger
World Peace returns in time to help Lakers season continue Related links Nuggets left with list of ifs after Game 7 loss More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

“We were aggressive,” Gasol said. “We attacked the paint better. We pounded the boards as hard as we could, every single time. … Our backs against the wall also had something to do with it.”

Andrew Bynum had 16 points, a career playoff-high 18 rebounds and six blocked shots for Los Angeles, which must open the second round Monday night in Oklahoma City against the second-seeded Thunder.

Ty Lawson and Al Harrington scored 24 points apiece for the sixth-seeded Nuggets, who committed 19 turnovers and managed just 7-of-27 shooting in the fourth quarter. Arron Afflalo scored 15 points in just the third Game 7 in franchise history for the Nuggets, who have lost in the first round in eight of the last nine postseasons – but never with this much excitement.

“Tomorrow or the next day, when the funk gets out of your body, youre going to be proud of them,” Denver coach George Karl said. “Ive never been in a locker room at the end of a season where every guy in front of me, Im happy with and Im content with. … The game was so physical. I think their size won over our speed. We gave a great effort. We made them miss enough shots to win, but we just didnt rebound the ball.”

The Lakers appeared to be in control of the series after a narrow victory in Game 4 last weekend, but the Nuggets rallied for two straight dominant victories. Game 7 was a barn-burner, with both teams blowing significant leads in the final minutes as this stark clash of styles between the physical Lakers and the speedy Nuggets was resolved in the very last minutes.

“Its tough,” Lawson said. “We played together, and played as a team. Just the way it went down is kind of tough for us. We fought hard and showed a lot of energy. Next year, were going to be even better.”

World Peace hit four 3-pointers and energized Los Angeles with tough defense in his return. The former Ron Artest missed Los Angeles regular-season finale and the first six games against Denver for viciously elbowing Oklahoma Citys James Harden, the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year and one of his probable defensive assignments in the next round.

World Peace doesnt plan to seek out Harden to make peace before the opener, saying he rarely talks to even his friends on opposing teams before games.

“I dont shake substitutions hands,” World Peace said.

Although he also launched 11 3-pointers, hitting four, World Peace used that attitude to help shut down Danilo Gallinari and Andre Miller, holding them to a combined 2-for-19 shooting.

“He made plays tonight that wont show up in the stat sheet that were absolutely amazing for us defensively,” said Mike Brown, who shrugged off Magic Johnsons pregame pronouncement that the first-year coachs job would be in jeopardy with a loss. “Just his presence alone helped us out, and thats what we missed the first six games. … He was monstrous for us tonight.”

With Gasol and World Peace taking the lead, Bryant didnt dominate with scoring, but his playmaking out of double-teams helped Blake hit five 3-pointers in a row before missing his sixth attempt. The journeyman guard is backing up Ramon Sessions, who managed just four points in the finale of his first career playoff series.

One possession after his five-rebound masterpiece, Gasol put the Lakers ahead for good with a tiebreaking tip-in with 6:30 to play, kicking off an 11-2 Lakers run. Afflalos 3-pointer cut the lead to 89-84 with 1:09 to play, but Bryant hit a dramatic 3-pointer before Gasol hit two free throws with 31 seconds left, punctuating them with a sweeping punch of his fist.

The Lakers improved to 15-1 in a Game 7 at home, winning 11 straight since the 1969 NBA Finals. Theyve won three straight Game 7s since losing a first-rounder at Phoenix in 2006, also the last time an NBA team blew a 3-1 series lead.

The Lakers narrowly avoided becoming the ninth team to waste a 3-1 lead after losing two closeout games in the previous four days. Los Angeles had been 12-1 in closeout games since acquiring Gasol in 2008 before stumbling twice against the Nuggets, who led for almost every possession of the past two contests.

Gasols focus was obvious from the opening tip. The four-time All-Star had just three points and three rebounds in Game 6, but he played the finale with emotion and aggression, hustling for loose balls and rebounds while demonstratively celebrating baskets and playing to the crowd.

The Nuggets fell behind 62-46 midway through the third quarter, but erased the entire Lakers lead in a furious 6½-minute stretch led by Lawson, who scored 13 points in the period. Denver took a lead on the first shot of the fourth, but the Lakers never trailed after Blakes 3-pointer with 9:03 left.

Notes

Bryant is 5-1 in Game 7s in his career. The Lakers played at home on a Saturday night for the first time all season. Their other two Saturday home dates were matinees. Fans near courtside included Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg, Julie Bowen, Zac Efron and rapper The Game.

Pacers outlast Magic, advance to Eastern Conference semifinals

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:37:00 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 8, 2012

It was Indianas first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round.

Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

More on Magic-Pacers Related links Expert picks: First round Playoff schedule Team updates: Magic | Pacers More NBA coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 27 points and made 5 of 8 3-pointers. Glen Davis, a thorn in Indianas side throughout the series, scored 15 but made just 6 of 17 shots. The Magic made just 5 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter.

Collison made a layup and hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 78-73 lead with 9:33 to play. After Nelson drained another 3, Collison came back with a layup, then Leandro Barbosas steal and layup pushed Indianas lead to 87-80 with 6:49 to play and forced an Orlando timeout. A few minutes later, Indianas Paul George stole an inbounds pass and found Granger under the hoop for a layup and a 91-80 lead. The Pacers dominated from there.

Indiana led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but as was the case throughout the series, it didnt last. Orlando got hot late in the half, and a 3-pointer by Jason Richardson and a bucket by Davis cut Indianas lead to 48-47. Indianas Roy Hibbert made a hook shot to push the lead back to three at the break.

A putback by Ryan Anderson gave Orlando a 51-50 lead early in the third quarter.

A bucket by David West and a jumper and a 3-pointer by Hill pushed Indianas lead to 57-51. Orlando rallied again and tied the game at 61 on a fadeaway by Davis before a three by Nelson gave Orlando a 66-64 lead. He hit another three in the closing seconds – he had 15 in the quarter – to give Orlando a 71-69 lead.

Hill added nine points in the period to keep the Pacers in the game before Collison and Granger put it away.

Notes

The teams combined for just five turnovers in the first quarter. … Indiana shot 50 percent in the first 12 minutes. … Orlando made just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the first period. … Collisons first turnover of the series came in the closing seconds of the third quarter. He finished the series with 23 assists and one turnover in the series. … Orlando outscored Indiana 24-19 in the third quarter. Indiana had outscored the Magic 108-60 combined in the third quarter of the previous four games.

Anthony huge as Knicks avoid sweep vs. Heat

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:37:02 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 6, 2012

Finally, New York could celebrate an NBA playoff victory again.

Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a cut hand, and the Knicks snapped an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by beating the Miami Heat 89-87 Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round series.

“I think its the first of many,” said Stoudemire, his left arm back in a sling to keep his hand elevated. “Tonight was a great win for us, for our fans to finally get over that hump of those consecutive games that we lost, I guess the Knicks, lost over those years in the playoffs.”

Anthony made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 54.5 seconds left as the Knicks overcame another serious injury to win a playoff game for the first time since beating Toronto on April 29, 2001, in Game 3 of a best-of-five series. Baron Davis dislocated his right kneecap in the third quarter, just as the Knicks were making the run that got them back into the game after a dismal first half.

“Im just glad that we came together after that, kept our composure, kept on fighting and won the basketball game,” Anthony said.

LeBron James scored 27 for the Heat, who will try to close it out in Game 5 at home on Wednesday. Dwyane Wade had 22, but missed a 3-pointer on the last possession that would have given Miami a lengthy rest before starting the second round.

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“Wed love to take the week [off] but its not in the cards for us to do that in this round,” Wade said. “You know, well adjust. We play Wednesday in Miami at 7 oclock. Well be ready to play and give our fans another exciting game.”

Wades errant shot set off a loud celebration from Knicks fans whose team was on the verge of getting swept for the second straight year, and third straight time dating to 2004. It didnt look as if the elusive postseason victory would come in this series, after the Knicks had been blown out by 20 points per game in the first three games.

But they got a huge lift from Stoudemire, playing with padding over his hand just six days after he punched a fire extinguisher case after a Game 2 loss in Miami. And they got a sensational effort from Anthony, who shot 15 of 29 and was one point shy of his playoff career best after he made only 34.4 percent of his shots in the first three games.

“We stepped up to the challenge,” Anthony said.

Now here comes another: The Knicks need a solution at point guard after Davis was carted off on a stretcher with his severe knee injury. Jeremy Lin is close to returning from knee surgery, but Iman Shumpert was lost with a torn knee ligament in Game 1.

A day after the Dallas team that beat them in the finals was swept by Oklahoma City, the Heat failed in their attempt for their first sweep since beating Washington in the 2005 Eastern Conference semifinals.

The series was on pace to be one of the most lopsided in NBA history through three games, but this one was within four points the entire fourth quarter, the crowd at Madison Square Garden growing louder with every play that moved the Knicks closer to their first playoff win in 11 years.

Mike Bibbys 3-pointer with 1:23 left snapped an 81-all tie, but the Heat called timeout and ran a play that freed James for a wide-open 3 that tied it again seven seconds later. On the Knicks next possession, Anthony came far beyond the arc to receive the ball after JR Smith picked up his dribble, then dribbled forward and pulled up for a 3 that made it 87-84 with 54.5 to play.

The Heat turned it over on their next possession when Chris Boshs pass sailed into the backcourt, and Anthony was fouled by Shane Battier attempting a 3-pointer. He made only one foul shot, and the Heat cut it to one again when James converted a three-point play while drawing Tyson Chandlers sixth foul.

Stoudemire made a free throw with 14 seconds left to make it 89-87, and Wade lost control of the ball driving into the middle on Miamis last possession. He regained it and dribbled to the corner for a 3-pointer that was off.

“I had a lane and then I kind of lost the ball. When I lost it, I knew that theyd recover by then so it made me dribble it out,” Wade said. “We got the switch and I got a little step on Amare and I was about to go to my shot. I was about to go to my shot but I kind of fumbled the ball a little bit. I thought I got a good look. I thought it was going in. But it came up a little short.”

Stoudemire had surgery Wednesday to repair a muscle in his left hand and the Knicks had listed him as doubtful for Sunday, but he was back on the court during practice Friday and cleared to play in Game 4.

He was back in his usual spot as the last player introduced during starting lineups, getting a loud reception, and he quickly picked the Knicks up after their sluggish start.

“Hes a good player. Hes a great player honestly, and he gave them the spark that they needed,” James said.

The Heat jumped to an 8-1 lead, holding the Knicks without a basket for almost four minutes to start the game. Then Stoudemire had three baskets in a 12-2 spurt to give the Knicks the lead, and they were up 20-18 after one following two free throws by Anthony with 7.3 seconds left.

The game then turned into a foul-fest, with 23 called in the second period. The Heat shot 19 free throws, making 14, while the Knicks were 8 of 9. Stoudemire and Chandler both went to the bench with their third fouls, but the Heat failed to pull away even after forcing the Knicks to miss their first six shots of the period while opening a 10-point lead.

Both teams shot 33 percent in the quarter, played at a glacial pace while the teams paraded to the free-throw line. Miami led 44-38 at halftime.

Miami led 51-40 before the Knicks offense finally got going. Stoudemire made a jumper and converted a three-point play, Anthony made a layup, and Smith stole the ball and made a 3-pointer for a quick 10-0 run.

James missed and the ball was batted up ahead to Davis, who drove in with a chance to give the Knicks the lead. But his leg buckled near the foul line and he crumbled to the court, called for a travel. Concerned teammates quickly waved for help, and Davis was wheeled off the court.

But New York regrouped and surged into the lead, going up by six late in the period before taking a 64-61 advantage to the fourth. After making only 13 baskets in the first half, the Knicks shot 10 of 20 in the third, getting 11 points from Anthony.

Notes

Heat reserve C Eddy Curry (flu) was not with Miami for the game. There was a musical tribute during a second-quarter timeout for Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who died Friday of cancer.

Harden huge in fourth as Thunder sweep Mavs

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:37:01 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 5, 2012

Instead of giving in and being content going home for a Game 5, the Thunder now are waiting for their next series. Oklahoma City rallied for a 103-97 victory Saturday night to complete a first-round series sweep of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.

Harden scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, including seven in a row and nine in the Thunders 12-0 run after they trailed by 13 points with 9:44 left.

“I got into attack mode,” Harden said. “I was determined to make plays.”

After the Harden-fueled surge over 3 minutes got the T when Russell Westbrook stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki and passed to Serge Ibaka for a two-handed slam that made it 92-91 with 5:17 left.

“He beat us in individual drives, beat us in pick and rolls. He got up a head of steam and was great,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Harden. “We tried everything, five or six different coverages going. We needed to be better but it was more about how good he was.”

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Dallas is the second defending champion in five years to be swept in the first round. After beating the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals, Miami lost in four games to Chicago the next year.

Kevin Durant had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who will play the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver. The Lakers lead that first-round series 2-1 going into Game 4 on Sunday night in Denver.

“This goes without saying, Im excited we won the series,” coach Scott Brooks said. “James had an incredible game. We ran pick and rolls at the angles. … He was making plays for himself or our shooters.”

Even when Harden bobbled the ball in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma City took the lead, Derek Fisher ended up with it and drove for a layup to make it 96-91. Nowitzki then had a shot that hit the rim a couple of times before falling out.

Nowitzki had 34 points, including all six of his free throws after that. But he also missed a couple of shots in that span, all that were close but not good.

With their 20-something All-Star duo of Durant and Westbrook along with the late-season addition of Fisher, who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Thunder got the franchises first four-game playoff sweep since 1996.

Thats when they were still the Seattle SuperSonics and swept the Houston Rockets in a second-round series.

“If you want to be an elite team in this league, you got to have two or three guys who can go off at any time and I just thought they had more weapons than us,” Nowitzki said.

Oklahoma City finished off the Mavs without starting center Kendrick Perkins, who left the game with 4:09 left in the first quarter with a right hip strain. He had two rebounds, two assists and missed his only shot in his 8 minutes.

Jason Kidd, the Mavericks 39-year-old point guard, had 16 points and eight assists. Jason Terry had 11 points in what might have also been his last game in Dallas.

Westbrook and Fisher had 12 points each for the Thunder.

Dallas led 86-73 on a 3-pointer by Terry before Harden scored seven in a row – on a three-point play and two other baskets. Durant then made a 3-pointer, and after Nowitzki was short on a 14-footer, Harden drove for a powerful two-handed slam that got the Thunder within 86-85.

The game was tied at halftime before Nowitzki had 12 points and Kidd made three 3-pointers in the third quarter, when the Mavs scored 34 points to take an 81-68 lead.

Dallas had never been swept in a best-of-seven series. And the Mavericks hadnt lost four playoff games in a row since the 2006 NBA Finals against the Heat, when they took a 2-0 series lead before losing the rest.

Now they are the oldest team in the NBA, and vastly changed from last years championship squad.

Still, the Mavs looked like they were ready after halftime to at least force the series back to Oklahoma City, where they opened the series with two losses by a combined four points before losing by 16 at home in Game 3 on Thursday night.

Nowitzki drove around Ibaka for a tiebreaking one-handed reverse layup less than a minute into the second half, and the lead was up to 64-54 when Shawn Marion had a slam dunk.

The closest the Thunder got the rest of the third quarter was six points, but Kidd stretched that back out with another 3-pointer.

Carlisle had talked during the off day about the Mavericks controlling their emotions after his outburst in the first quarter of Game 3. He had to be held back by an assistant coach when he charged onto the court and was pointing and screaming at an official because of what he said were three missed calls on one possession, ending with Oklahoma City scoring on what appeared to be basket interference.

Before the end of the fir and for good reason.

Kidd had bad pass that went out of bounds, but officials missed that the ball was deflected in the air by Harden. Replays showed clearly that Carlisle had a gripe and that the loud boos were warranted.

Fisher then made it worse by hitting a 22-foot jumper when play resumed. But Vince Carter made a 3-pointer to get the Mavs within 26-24 before drawing a charge from Harden near midcourt.

Notes

This was Dallas 23rd best-of-7 playoff series. The only time the Mavericks had ever been swept in the postseason was in the a first-round series in 1990 when they lost a best-of-5 against Portland. Ibaka fouled out with 2:14 left. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls for the Cowboys, sat in a front-row seat near midcourt.

Paul, Clippers survive Grizzlies in Game 3

admin — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:37:01 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 5, 2012

Chris Paul had 24 points and 11 assists and high-flying Blake Griffin added 17 points for the Clippers, who beat the Memphis Grizzles 87-86 Saturday only after Gay missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

“Thats the way we planned it,” Paul joked. “They arent going to give us anything. Theyre never out of the game with an electrifying scorer like Rudy Gay.”

The Clippers won their first home playoff game in six seasons to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference playoffs. Game 4 is Monday night.

The long-suffering Clippers fans, who turned Staples Center into a sea of red, very easily could have gone home disappointed.

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Paul hit a fadeaway jumper with 2:02 left for an 82-80 lead. On the next possession he had a no-look bounce pass to Griffin coming in off the baseline for a monster slam.

Trailing 86-80 after two free throws by Paul, Gay hit a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds left, Memphis first field goal since 7:10. After Los Angeles missed three of four free throws, Gay hit another 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds to hush the crowd.

Eric Bledsoe missed two more free throws, Gilbert Arenas rebounded for Memphis to set up Gays final shot. Gay, who had 24 points, got some room to shoot, and quickly let go. But it the shot bounced off the rim.

“At the end of the game I wanted to make a quick play,” Gay said.

Memphis had another big advantage at the free throw line, like it did in winning Game 2, but couldnt capitalize. The Grizzlies made 30 of 39 while the Clippers were just 13 of 30.

“We missed 17 free throws?” Paul said. “We did? It shows how much fight we have. Its unacceptable.”

Paul did his part at the line, making, seven of eight. But Griffin missed six of nine while Reggie Evans missed six of eight.

Memphis had seemingly taken the crowd out of the game in the third quarter, when it outscored the Clippers 25-14 to take a 71-64 lead.

The Clippers lull extended into the fourth quarter. Marc Gasol made a field goal with 7:10 left for a 77-71 lead, but that was Memphis last basket until the first of Gays two 3-pointers in the closing seconds.

“We shut down and only scored 15 points in the fourth quarter,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ” We took too many quick shots and gave up second-chance points. We gave them the back door and Blake took advantage of it.”

Said Gay: “We missed a couple plays we wish we had back. We had a couple letdowns. `

The Clippers, who rallied from 27 down to win the opener on Sunday night at Memphis, started this comeback with just more than four minutes to go.

Evans made a strong inside move against Marreese Speights to rebound Bledsoes missed free throw and score to pull L.A. to 79-77 with 4:08 left. Randy Foye then hit a huge 3-point shot from the left side with 3:13 left to tie it at 80 before Paul and Griffin took over.

“Hes tenacious,” Gay said of Paul. “He doesnt give up. He makes plays and finds people. We cant have other people doing what they did today. The Clippers pushed us tonight. They got into the lane. Well see how we respond on Monday.”

Forward Caron Butler started for the Clippers, wearing a splint on his broken left, or non-shooting, hand. He was hurt in Game 1, and missed the next game. He scored four points.

The Clippers used an 18-1 run spanning the first and second quarter to take a 36-23 lead, but the Grizzles turned around and dropped a 13-0 run on Los Angeles to tie it.

Griffin put an exclamation point on the first half when he stole the inbounds pass from Speights and swooped in for a dunk at the buzzer to give the Clippers a 50-46 lead.

It was the first home playoff game as Clippers for Paul and Griffin.

“I wont forget my first playoff in this building,” Paul said. “The energy in the crowd and seeing fans celebrating motivate us. The crowd won the game for us. ”

Said Griffin: “It was unbelievable. The fans were on their feet and with the energy through our warm-ups, we had no choice but to play hard.”

Zach Randolph scored 17 for Memphis while Gasol had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Quincy Pondexter had 11 points.

Foye had 16 for L.A.

Notes

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro tried to play coy before the game about Butlers status, but added after: “Maybe we underestimated how tough he is ` … Paul was impressed that Butler played. “If he can fight with one broken hand, what can the rest of us do?” Butler played just more than 22 minutes. Gay committed two fouls in the games first five minutes and sat out until early in the second quarter.

Regulars rest in Heat loss; Bull clinch top seed

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:37:11 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
April 24, 2012

Rest and recovery were of much greater importance as both teams looked ahead to the postseason and patched together lineups that hardly resembled last years second-round playoff series.

The result was sloppy at times, but turned into a relatively even matchup before the seldom-used Celtics rallied for a 78-66 win over the starless Heat on Tuesday night.

Sasha Pavlovic led Boston with a season-high 16 points, scoring 12 in the fourth quarter as the Celtics pulled away by shooting 50 percent (11 for 22) in the period and forcing Miami into eight of its season-high 25 turnovers.

“Well, someone had to win the game and we did, which was really nice,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “You know, these games are still important, probably for both teams.”

But not important enough to risk anybodys playoff status.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were out for the Heat. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo didnt play for the Celtics.

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Rivers said Rondo and Garnett should be back in the lineup on Thursday when Boston hosts Milwaukee in the final game of the regular s locked into the No. 4 se can still get home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs against Atlanta with another victory on Thursday and a loss by Hawks. Atlanta heads into the season finale with a one-game lead but Boston won the season series.

The Celtics would prefer to open the playoffs on the road with a healthy lineup than be back at home with Rondo (back), Garnett (hip flexor) or Allen (bone spurs) still hobbled by injuries.

“Well see,” Rivers said. “It would be nice to put some more pressure and force Atlanta to have to win.”

Anyone who bought a ticket to this game months ago, anticipating an Eastern Conference showdown was disappointed. Instead, it was the Heat JV taking on the Celtics Lite.

Bosh didnt dress again because of a left hamstring strain. James and Wade were still in warmups and didnt come to the bench until after the starting lineups were announced and although they were listed as active, they never entered the game.

Instead of trying to catch Chicago for the top seed in the East, the Heat are now locked in at No. 2.

“We wanted to make sure going into the last week with a quick turnaround that we were ready for this weekend,” Miami coach Eric Spoelstra said. “We had legitimate injuries. We werent just sitting guys.”

Dexter Pittman had 12 points, James Jones scored 11 and Udonis Haslem grabbed 13 rebounds for the Heat, whose 25 turnovers were a season high. Miami failed to score 20 in any quarter and had just 16 in each of the final two periods.

“We made too many turnovers and they capitalized on them,” Jones said. “We did some good things, but just not enough so we are locked into the second seed and we are focused on trying to correct some of our mistakes as we move into the playoffs.”

Marquis Daniels finished with 13 points, Brandon Bass had eight points and eight rebounds for the Celtics. Paul Pierce finished with eight points. He started the game, but sat out the fourth quarter while Pavlovic thrilled the remaining fans as the Celtics improved to 3-1 against the Heat this season.

“I started kid of slow in the first half. Doc was on me about that,” said Pavlovic, who 0 for 2 while going scoreless in the first half. “I just cam out in the second half and played as hard as I could defensively. Whenever I had an open shot, I just took it.”

Pavlovic was 5 for 6 in the fourth quarter, hitting two 3s while scoring 12.

The Celtics had almost as many turnovers (7) as points (10) in the first quarter and failed to score until a little past the midpoint of the opening period. But after the sloppy start, Bostons patchwork lineup came together in the third quarter, tying it with a 10-0 run late and then outscoring the Heat 10-4 to st obviously, with 25 turnovers,” Spoelstra said. “However we got to that point, we were still tied halfway through the fourth quarter. It just went from there.”

Sean Williams hit two free throws to put Boston up 58-54, then Pavlovic pulled up with a baseline jumper for a 60-54 lead with 6:35 remaining and Miami called a time out.

Pavlovic continued to pick apart the Heat, driving for a dunk that put the Celtics up 62-56, then hitting a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to nine with 4:45 left.

Pavlovics previous high for the season was 10, two fewer than he scored in the final quarter.

Pierce hit a jumper, fed Bass with a pass under the basket for a dunk and then Pavlovic hit a jumper to get the Celtics started on a 10-0 run that tied it at 46-all late in the third quarter. It was tied at 50 entering the fourth. Daniels stole the ball from Juwan Howard and took it uncontested for a dunk that put the Celtics up 54-52, Bostons first lead since 18-17 in the second quarter.

The Celtics are at home Thursday against Milwaukee while the Heat close out the regular season at Washington

Haslem and Mario Chalmers were the only regular Miami starters while Pierce and Bass were Boston normal starters in the opening lineup.

Notes

The Celtics didnt score until Pierces turnaround jumper with 5:45 left in the first quarter, cutting Miamis lead to 11-2. The Celtics matched their season-low for a quarter with just 10 points in the first period. The Heat knocked the Celtics out in the second round of the playoffs last year, winning the series 4-1. One of the loudest cheers of the night was when the big-screen monitor showed highlights of the Boston Bruins win over Washington in Game 6 on Sunday. The Bruins host the Capitals on Wednesday night in Game 7.